A Hollow's Kingdom
by Dragon'sHost
Summary: Princess Orihime's castle has been taken over by Aizen and his hollows. What can she do to get it back?  The only problem is that there is a time limit, for Aizen wants to marry her off to him or one of his henchmen. She can only talk to her silent gaurd.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Hollow's Kingdom

Genre: Fantasy/Romance

Rating: T, I guess, for some swearing

Pairings: Ulquiorra/Orihime, Ichi/Ruki, and Renji/Tatsuki, may add others later

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters…………………………………………………………………..Damn.

Summary: When Princess Orihime's father and mother have been killed, her kingdom taken from her by the usurper Aizen, and her brother missing, what can she do to get everything back? There is only 1 problem: she doesn't have much time to formulate an escape plan and carry it out, as Aizen is planning on marrying her off to either himself or one of his henchmen to solidify relations with the people of his new kingdom. What can Orihime do, especially as she is locked up in her suite of rooms with no one to talk to, except for her hated guard Ulquiorra?

Chapter 1: Happy Birthday Orihime

The day began as any other normal day for Princess Orihime. After being forcefully awakened from a pleasant dream involving her and her orange haired knight, Ichigo, she was helped into the outfit she must wear for the day. It was a blue colour as pure as the sky on a cloudless day. The colour would bring out her fiery orange locks of hair that hung down to her waist that much more. The cut to the dress was simple, as it was a one piece dress with no petticoats, while it did have a small, embroidered cape over the shoulders.

Orihime smiled, this dress would have to be the work of the palaces' resident Quincy, Ishida Uryu. He was prized among the spiritual corps for his talents with his spiritual bow, but he was also a great maker of clothing for women. Orihime and he sometimes spent a few hours together during the day sewing in her solar, under the watch of guardsmen and gossiping maids, of course.

Though she could have put the garment on by herself, she let her maids fuss over her. She secretly found the primping rather enjoyable. Now that the servants were done dressing her, they gently led her over to the full length mirror in the middle of her sitting room; it had a simple wooden chair with a medium sized back. Then they gathered up her lustrous hair and started to fix it up, too.

They curled it until it was wavy enough to suit them, then they pinned it up high on her head. They let two locks of hair dangle on either side of her face, but the rest of it was captured in pins that had small blue and silver stones glued on the ends, so that they winked out of the depths of her curls and waves. Her hair now hung down to her shoulders, and the hairdressers tucked the two final pins in, the silver and blue flower ones that had been a gift from her older brother some time ago, and that she could not be parted with.

While they dug around in the dresser where she kept her jewelry, she heard a quiet knock come from her door that led out into the hall. "Who is it?" she called.

"Just me!"

Orihime's eyes lit up. "Come in, Sora!"

Her brother obliged and walked over to the doorway leading from her entrance chamber to her sitting room, hands clasped behind his back. "Guess what today is?" he asked with a mischievous smile on his face.

Orihime wracked her brain for an answer, but couldn't wring anything from it so early in the morning (the sun wasn't even up yet!). "What is it?"

"Happy 16th Birthday!" he called, whipping two wrapped packages from behind his back. He nearly lost his balance and fell over backwards when Orihime launched herself from her seated position 15 feet away to catch him in a flying hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou, thank you!!" Then she stepped back and released her hold on him so he could breathe. Sora gave her the presents before she hugged him again.

She tore through the plain brown wrapping to reveal two nearly identical boxes, one with an outside of Bahamian Rosewood, and the other of solid Purple Heart. Her eyes opened wide and she clutched them to her rather endowed chest. She looked up at her brother, tears beginning to brim in her eyes. "Thank you, brother," she said again, though much quieter this time. "They're beautiful."

"The smaller one, the one made out of Purple Heart, is a jewelry box for you, to hold your most treasured pieces," Sora explained to her. "The other one, the Bahamian rosewood, is for holding the things you hold most dear in your life, or at least, the ones small enough to fit. Here are the keys," he said, digging through his pockets to get them. "The gold one is for the purple heart, and the red one for the rosewood."

Orihime gently took the boxes and the keys and laid them on her dresser top that was near her bed. She turned back to look at him and smiled broadly in her happiness.

"I think that dress you are wearing is a birthday gift from your friend Ishida Uryu. All of your friends asked me to deliver their presents to you right now, as they may not get around to seeing you today. Hold on and stay right there, while I go get them. Sora spun on his heels and left for a few minutes. For Orihime, this was too long and she began to bounce up and down on her mattress while she was waiting. Sora came back with two extremely full sacks, which he set on the bed as soon as Orihime stopped making it jump. He raised an eyebrow at her antics, and she just giggled it away.

Without a word, he opened one of the bags and took out the first thing he saw. These were two small boxes of Australian Lace wood; the markings on the wood making the eye believe that it was looking at the desert sands. Inside one of them, was a necklace made out of hundreds of tiny pieces of abalone shell, hand fitted together into something that Orihime could wear without it being uncomfortable. All of the little shells caught the light and reflected back brilliant hues of blue and green. The other box contained a set of earrings that matched the necklace, only these were made of only six pieces of shells each, one for each of her Shun Shun Rikka. Sora helped her to put them on while explaining that the necklace and earrings were a joint present from Rangiku Matsumoto and her Captain Hitsugaya Toushiro, of 10th squad.

There was embroidery set from Yumichika, and a letter opener made of deer antler from Ikkaku. Yachiru had been thoughtful and had given her a bit of lace that had a rather elegant design on it. Captain Zaraki of 11th squad had commissioned an honorary uniform with the symbol for his squad on it; she could pick it up at the tailor's later, as it wasn't quite finished just yet. He'd put her receipt for it in one of Sora's bags. There was a little carven figurine of a dragon from Maki Maki. Rukia had given her a pair of leather sandals (the type that wraps around the heel) dyed in the same colour as her dress; Orihime immediately buckled those on. Captain Byakuya of 6th squad gave her several nice pieces of super soft and supple vellum to draw some of her best embroidery designs on. They were even dyed a brilliant white. Thinking to complement the gift that his captain had given her, Renji gave her several quills and inkpots full of many different hues of ink. There was also a small Ichitori set, just a simple wooden bowl and 45 brightly polished stones. They were from Keigo and Muizuiro. Chad had procured many balls of yarn in different colours for Orihime's enjoyment. She was really pleased with these, now she could knit thank you scarves for everyone.

Ichigo's present surprised her. It was a cookbook! Well, there were some new recipes that she wanted to try out, but what was he trying to say about her cooking? Was he trying to say it was good, and encouraging her to continue with his present? Or was her cooking awful and he was just trying to make sure he didn't die of food poisoning? Orihime pondered this for a couple of seconds. It must mean that he likes her cooking, since he gave her more recipes to modify to her own taste!

The last present that Sora pulled out was a large hair pin that looked like a red dragonfly. She touched it to her cheek gently, and started bawling like a young child, with nothing keeping the tears in check at all.

Sora was shocked. He hadn't anticipated this type of reaction to any gift she was given. Her chokes changed a little, as she tried to catch her breath and say something. Sora leaned in closer to catch her words.

"W-w-wh-o g-gave m-me this pr-pr-pres-ent?" she finally managed.

"Your friend, Tatsuki," Sora answered her. For the second time already that day, Orihime flung her arms around her older brother. He enfolded his arms around her slight form. "'Hime," he said, using her nickname, "what's wrong? Please tell me. Maybe I can help."

She shook her head against his chest, and then lifted her face to meet his gaze. She was smiling, in pure joy. "Put it in my hair. Please?" She turned her back to him, the palm with the hairclip in it extended out behind her for Sora to take.

He picked it up tenderly, and placed it in the center of her arranged hair, where it would be most visible. When he was done, she took two hand-held mirrors and checked out how the clip looked on her. She thought it looked nice; the colour of the pin and her hair weren't all that different.

"Brother?"

Sora had been neatly arranging her gifts on her humongous bed. He looked up at her. "Yes, 'Hime?"

"Would you like to hear why that gift is so special to me, and why I cried when I saw it?" At his nod, she continued. "You know, you are the person who raised me, the one who did it the most throughout my entire life. Mother and Father were, and are, just too busy to deal with a daughter that needed more attention than they could give; they just have too many duties being King and Queen. I have never hated them for that, and I know that they love me very much. I love them too, but I've never been very close to them." Orihime wheeled around on her feet to face the opposite direction from Sora, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Brother, you were a father and mother both to me while I was growing-up. I owe it all to you for how great I've turned out to be so far." She turned back to face him and looked him square in the eyes. "So, as a result, I worry very much whenever you leave the royal city's boundaries on an errand for Mother or Father. A few months ago, you were gone for a full 3 weeks. We had a fireworks festival a few days before you came back. My friends dragged me out of the palace to celebrate and have fun, but I was making the mood dour with all of my worrying. So my friend, Tatsuki, and I went to our favorite spot on the riverbank by ourselves. She asked me what was wrong, so I told her that I was missing you. She also asked me what I missed the most about you."

"Which is?" Sora prompted her when she finally paused for breath.

"Do you remember when I was younger, that you used to take me to that same spot on the river? You would point your finger to the sky and say, 'Look, Orihime!' and then a red dragonfly would land there almost immediately. It was like magic. I've never been able to do that once, so red dragonflies are creatures that I associate you with."

Sora didn't say anything to this. What could he? There was nothing more to add. He stood up and straightened out imaginary wrinkles in his clothing.

"Your friend, Tatsuki, must love you a lot," he finally told her.

"Yup! And I love her very much, too!"

Sora walked over to her and kissed her brow. Then he held his arm out to her. "Well, Orihime? Shall we be going, then?"

Smiling, she took his outstretched arm. "I'd be glad to, brother."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, cuz if I did, then everyone muahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaa...

Chapter 2

As the two siblings walked arm-in-arm through the castle halls, they heard many warm greetings from the staff. They heard them call out many have a nice days, good mornings, and happy birthdays.

After a few minutes of navigating through the labyrinthine passageways (and getting lost twice), they arrived at the great dining hall. After being announced, they took their seats at the high table. They were sat opposite of their parents, with their backs to the lower tables. (They sat in the middle of the long sides of the table so that they could talk easily.)

They were the last to arrive (they _did_ get lost), so once they were seated the dais, on which the high table sat, began to rotate. This was designed by Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, at the King's request, so that everyone seated there would have a chance to look down at the other tables during the meal. While this might make some people nauseous, by now everyone had already gotten used to it. With the exception being the King himself (but it was his idea, and he was too prideful to get rid of it).

Orihime smiled at her mother and father, and wondered, not for the first time, why her parents had been allowed to marry for love.

Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin were rather close-mouthed about their pasts. All they would tell their children was that they had been childhood friends, and later comrades-in-arms. When the previous King died, Kisuke had asked Yoruichi to be his wife and Queen. It was allowed, perhaps because she was from one of the noble houses that the spirit corps actually acknowledged for their fighting ability. (There was also a generous helping of blackmail, courtesy of the new King, though the historians chose to ignore that when they wrote that year's Annual.) That they _did_ love each other was obvious in everything they did. Orihime was happy for them and a bit jealous, as well. She wished that she could have what they did.

Snapping back to reality, Orihime realized that her mother was asking her something. "I'm sorry, what was that again?"

Yoruichi smiled at her daughter being caught daydreaming again. It was a bad habit for combat, but a rather endearing quality in her daughter. "I asked, 'How was your morning, dear?'"

"It was great, and I am great too!" Orihime said this proudly, as if this was an amazing accomplishment. Then again, the small things in life mattered just as much, if not more so, than the greater things in life, according to Orihime. It was a wonderful mentality for her to have, and her mother was secretly very proud of her. She showed a great potential for many different things. However, ruling a kingdom probably wasn't one of them.

"Orihime," Yoruichi began, only to be interrupted by her husband making a rather noisy toast. _Always_, she thought. _Always with the noise and the drama! He hasn't changed at all since we were children! I'll show him "drama." Tonight. In bed._

"Everyone," yelled Kisuke. "Please quiet down (as if they weren't already, he _is_ the king, they are going to listen to whatever he says) and pay attention (they couldn't pay any more attention, even if they wanted to, someone had already fallen off their chair). I have an extremely important announcement to make."

_He thinks every drunken rambling of his is important_, Yoruichi thought to herself. _And __is yelling? If he just spoke normally (which is quite loud anyways) every__one could still hear him clearly. The hall isn't __big._

Even with the silence of his entire audience except himself, Kisuke continued to shout happily. "Today," he paused for dramatic effect, "is Orihime's 16th birthday!" The hall erupted with cheers, though they had already known that it was her birthday. (She _is_ the princess!) "I'm not done yet!" Kisuke whined, looking miffed. The dining hall quieted down again. "Thank you! Since it is her 16th birthday, by our laws she can legally marry now. Now hold on boys, before you all come rushing up here to earn my favor. As our gift to Orihime, my Queen and I have decided that since Sora will be King after me, Orihime can marry whomever she chooses! She will marry, or not marry at all, for love and not politics. Not so for Sora, but hey! He's going to be King anyway! I think that this is the best present that anyone can give her. What do you say, honey?"

Orihime couldn't respond, even if she wanted to. She had already fainted clean away out of pure joy.

When Orihime came to, she saw that she was in the infirmary, with Captain Unohana of 4th squad herself taking care of her.

"How are you feeling, princess?" Unohana gently pressed a cool hand on Orihime's forehead.

"I'm fine! Thank you for asking. I think that the shock was too much for me to handle back in the dining hall, so I fainted. I feel much better now, though."

"Excellent diagnosis. You are, indeed, my pupil!" They smiled easily with each other. Unohana had been referring to the past couple of months that Orihime had spent in the infirmary helping 4th squad with healing the people that came in. Unohana had taught her to use conventional methods as well as helping her to hone her healing skills with the Shun Shun Rikka.

"What time is it?" Orihime asked, looking around for a time piece.

Unohana smiled. "It is almost lunch time, princess."

"Ah!" Orihime pondered for a moment. "Do you think it would be alright if I eat with my friends in the guard room today?"

"It's your birthday. I don't think that anyone will deny you anything on this day. Go on, now. You're officially discharged."

"Thank you, Unohana!" Orihime got up and hugged the older woman before leaving.

"No problem at all, princess," Unohana told her as she left. Orihime waved over her shoulder before disappearing from the Captain's view. "Well," she said. She walked over to her desk and sat down. "This paperwork isn't going to go away anytime soon unless I get at it." With that, she started to tackle the mounds of paperwork before her.

* * *

_I think I've already been past her before_, Orihime thought, looking around. She noticed a tapestry on the wall that depicted a princess saving a dragon from the knight who had come to slay the dragon and rescue the princess. Orihime liked it; she would have it moved to her rooms later. However, it meant that she was lost. She had already passed that tapestry 3 times. 

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, but couldn't see anyone due to the dimness of the passageway. She was beginning to get cold in the drafty corridor. The footsteps were getting louder and echoing off the wall now. Orihime's imagination began to get the best of her, and she was afraid. What if it was those escaped traitors, Aizen Sousuke, Gin Ichimaru, and Tousen? She couldn't remember the other half of his name as she had never had much contact with him before.

A shape loomed in front of Orihime, and she relaxed as she saw who it was. "Kenpachi! Yachiru! I am so happy to see you guys!"

Yachiru jumped off of her perch on her Captain's back. "Big Boobies!" she exclaimed, rushing up to her. "We found you!"

Orihime hugged the hyper little pink-haired girl. "So, you guys were looking for me?"

"Yup! But now…we're…umm…kinda lost too. No worries! I'm sure Kenny can get us out of here! Right Kenny?"

Kenpachi nodded. Then he said, "Eventually."

It seemed that Orihime would be lost for awhile longer. At least now she had company.

"Hey, Kenpachi?"

"Yes?"

"Could you reach up and take down that tapestry right there? I want to put it in my rooms, but I'm not strong enough to carry it." (The stupid things are Huge! And freaking' heavy!)

He looked at it rather apprehensively. It was actually pretty large, even for a tapestry. It would cover a whole was in one of Orihime's rooms. "I'll…try," he told her. Then he reached for the top of the tapestry to see what was holding it up.

There were silver rings attached to the corners. The rings were hanging off of pieces of metal that curled upward to keep the rings from falling off, and jutted out from the stone wall. They didn't look like they had been drilled in or anything, though. It was as if they had just grown right out of the wall…

Kenpachi, Yachiru, and Orihime spent a few minutes studying the scene on the giant piece of cloth before they took it down. It was actually rather difficult to make out, as it was so encrusted with accumulated dirt and grime. A _lot_ of it. The figures of the dragon, princess, and knight were no more than dark shadows.

The only things that really stood out were their eyes. They were bright, full of emotion. The princess's were defiant and full of righteousness, while the knight's were confused and hurt. Their gazes were pointed at each other forever. The dragon's eyes though, weren't watching its savior and destroyer. Instead, its gaze was directed outward, at the people looking at the tapestry.

Those eyes pierced straight into Orihime's soul and heart, and were undeniably human. They were filled with an intense, fathomless sadness. Orihime's eyes started to fill with tears the longer she held the dragon's gaze. Even if it was just thread and gilt, nobody, not even a dragon, deserved to be that sad.

The eyes shone with another emotion as well. Loneliness.

Orihime walked up to the tapestry, tears running in great streams and carving paths through the dust on her cheeks. She placed her hands on it, and the dragon's loneliness filled her, choked her. "Don't be so sad any more. I'm here, _I'm_ with you. You aren't alone anymore," she found herself whispering to it.

She stepped back and rubbed her eyes. "Kenpachi? Please take her down now. Please."

He and Yachiru said nothing, out of respect for Orihime, while they took the tapestry down. The spikes, once free of their burden, silently retracted back into the wall, leaving no trace that they were ever there to begin with.

They rolled it up with great reverence. By then, Orihime had stopped crying. Kenpachi hefted the tapestry over his shoulder. Everyone walked forward, no one wanting to say anything. A couple of turns later and they emerged into the hallway that Orihime's rooms were on. They looked back, but all they saw was a bunch of brightly lit corridors. The complete opposite from the small, shadowy passageways that they had just gone through.

"Of course," Orihime said quietly. The others looked at her; she continued to stare off into the distance. "There is a spirit inside the tapestry. She was lonely, so she trapped her first visitors until they took her with them." Orihime was sure it was a girl, though she didn't know, nor care, how she knew this. "Let's put her in my rooms for now. And, guys?"

"Yeah?"

"Could we not tell anyone about her? I want to restore her to her former glory without interference."

"No problem at all, princess." They all took the tapestry in, and leaned her against Orihime's bed. They turned around, and quietly left for the guardroom.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: _sigh, mumble_ I don't own Bleach or its characters

I apologize for the late update, for those of you who are still with me. I ate something that I was allergic to, apparently. We still don't know what it was (but my money's on the pickle, haven't had one of those in years, avoided them like the plague; it seems they are, for me, anyway). I was feeling pretty apathetic. Didn't feel like writing. My apologies. Oh, and I got sick too, thanks to my stupid mother. She gave me a laxative instead of pain medication. For those of you who haven't looked at my profile, I am recuperating from ankle reconstruction surgery that I had August 1st. I'm already off pain meds, since the first week! But I'm still having freaky dreams. Now, enough of my babbling, on to the story!

Chapter 3

Once they got to the guardroom, all hell broke loose. Several regular soldiers and shinigami alike all rushed over to see if their 'precious princess' was alright. According to Captain Zaraki and Liuetenant Yachiru, these were the same ones who had bribed him to go and look for her.

Orihime was a little hurt by the fact that her saviors had needed to be bribed, but she felt better after they explained what had happened. Apparently, 11th squad had some…issues…with paperwork. They'd gotten caught by Shyuuhei when they tried to sneak their work into one of 9th squad's. Being the newly promoted Captain of 9th squad, he did have to set an example. Normally, they would never try and sneak their work into 9th squad's work pile. However, Captain Hitsugaya had figured out where all of his never-ending paperwork came from. Matsumoto had a tendency to hide all of the paperwork she received, so they were able to get away with it for a long, long time. Thus, they were rather far behind. After they had been working for a couple of hours, they were ambushed by these guys. They had offered to do all of their paperwork, while they just went and fetched Orihime. Thinking this was way easier than paperwork, they left. Then, due to their innate sense of direction, or lack thereof, they had gotten lost, too.

Once Orihime had thanked them for their gifts as well for helping out, and fended off her admirers, she went in search of her friends. She had only been gone for about an hour.

They were remarkably easy to find. Rangiku and Shunsui making a ruckus, as usual. This time, it seemed to involve Captain Hitsugaya. As she got closer, she heard what was going on. Shyuuhei was restraining his fellow captain from killing his assistant. Byakuya, for once, was at the table, sitting next to Rangiku. He seemed to be silently cursing in his head. For once, he had been dragged along by that stupid red headed tattooed idiot he had for an assistant. Nanao had been dragged along, too, as well as Hitsugaya.

It happened to be a rather cruder than normal joke about her captain that had gotten Matsumoto into this mess. Toushiro even had his sword out. It must have been really, really bad. Normally, only jokes about his size got this reaction out of him…….Uh, oh.

"I am finally going to get to kill you, Matsumoto! Let go of me, Shyuuhei!" That was when he noticed Orihime's presence. "Oh, hello princess." Shyuuhei, sensing that he had calmed down, let go. He should have kept his death hold, for Rangiku, in a fit of drunkenness that was admirable for the fact that it was only the middle of the day, decided to open her mouth.

"Hohohoho! Lookie! It's Orihime! Hey, hey, Orihime! Guess who made you the gift Captain and I gave you! I got the shells, but in a cute little gesture of kindness, Toushiro put it together! Hahahahahahahaha! They were almost as big as he was!" That was the last thing that she got to say, for he had lunged with his sword.

He hit her with the hilt in the side, and down she went. She fell asleep as soon as she hit the floor, or maybe passed out. Either way, she was quiet. "You can have her seat, princess."

"Did you really make my necklace and earrings, Toushiro?! That's amazing!" Her smile was bright as she sat down between him and Byakuya. Nanao was on the other side of Toushiro. The ones who had been dragged there by force had all chosen to sit near each other. Shunsui was sitting across from Nanao, which she took advantage of by routinely kicking his shins every once in a while. Shyuuhei's seat was actually on the other end of the table, but he had been the first to come to his drinking buddy's defense by keeping her Captain from giving her a slow, painful death. He was there by choice, surprisingly enough.

Orihime waved to Tatsuki, who returned the gesture before turning to her red-headed, tattooed neighbor to whack him on the head with her fist. Ichigo and Rukia said their hello's in unison, then went right back to yelling at each other. Chad waved, and so did Uryu. She heard a rather mumbled greeting from her left side. Byakuya was NOT happy. He was rather squished however, so he couldn't make his escape, yet. Orihime was squished too, since there wasn't actually room for everyone who had crammed in. This was any other normal day.

Orihime decided that she wasn't hungry, so she just sat and visited her friends for awhile. However, all good things must come to an end. Hers came as spike of reiatsu from her room. As well as a feeling of irritation. It was sudden and made her jump slightly. Apparently her tapestry didn't like being moved without warning. She wasn't the only one who sensed it. Zaraki and Yachiru, having come into contact with the source, were able to feel it too. It seemed it was too faint for anyone else to feel it.

Except, unfortunately, Byakuya wasn't normal; he'd obviously felt it too and knew she had. He was looking at her from the corner of his eye, silently asking for an explanation. She began to feel a little bit nervous under his intense gaze. "Um, excuse me everyone, I have to go now," she said, trying to escape. It didn't work.

"Would you like me to escort you so you don't get lost again?" Byakuya asked, seeing his chance to escape these monkeys.

"By the way, how did everyone know I was missing in the first place?"

"Unohana came down some time after you left her office, realizing that you might not have made it here," Toushiro explained.

It embarrassed her that Unohana had been right. Oh, well. Poor Byakuya needed to escape. "It would be a good idea for me to have an escort."

Rukia recognized her brother's desperation, even if his face was expressionless. "Bye guys!" she called cheerfully, before pulling Ichigo into another argument that he wasn't going to win.

Nanao got off the bench so that Toushiro could move to give Orihime room to get up. Thus giving Byakuya his long awaited freedom. He would punish his stupid Liuetenant for dragging him there in the first place, but not until later.

Strangling Renji with one hand and waving with the other, Tatsuki yelled, "Have a nice day, Orihime!" Turning back to Renji, she narrowed her eyes, and said, "Do you really want to say that ever again?" Apparently he didn't, because she released him a minute later.

Orihime followed the Captain of Sixth down through the halls silently. As they reached her door, Byakuya abruptly stopped and spun around on his heels to look at her straight in the eyes. Orihime squirmed a little under his intense gaze. She couldn't take it any longer. "…Yes…?"

"What was that strange reiatsu coming from your room earlier?" He continued to block her door until he got an answer.

"You could tell it was from my room?" she asked.

He just gave her a _look_. The one that says, "_Do I really seem__ that stupid to you_?"

She sighed, giving up. He sort of scared her. "It's…well…it's easier if I just show it to you," she conceded. He stepped aside, letting her pass. She looked around her room, trying to spot where the tapestry had been moved to. It was propped up in a corner of her bedroom, and radiating faint waves of what can only be described as pissiness. She grabbed one end and dragged it into the middle of the floor, where she could easily unroll the length of heavy cloth.

Byakuya watched impassively from the doorway of the bedroom. He came over to inspect after she was done though. If he concentrated hard enough, he could actually see the energy it was emitting. However, this meant that he could also see the dozens of wards keeping the leak that small. Powerful wards. He really didn't think that anyone around today, shinigami or human, would be capable of putting up these. They were totally alien to his concept of such things.

"There is definitely a spirit in there," he finally said. "An extremely powerful one." More so than anyone he knew of actually. Something inquisitive touched his mind gently; Byakuya frowned slightly, but allowed it access. His zanpakuto told him it would be fine, as no danger was inherent in the tentative searching.

He was aware of when it shared his eyes, and its light chuckle of amusement could be clearly heard inside of his head. Wow. I've gotten rather messy over the millennia, huh? Then she, definitely _she_, withdrew. The entire experience seemed to have lasted for hours, but in reality only a minute or two had passed.

He stopped concentrating on the energy signatures for a moment, to see what the spirit had meant. Dirt and grime were caked onto the thing. Then he saw the eyes, and became entranced, looking into the dragon's. Then he quickly tore his eyes away.

Byakuya turned to Orihime with a stern expression on his face. "Where did you get this?"

"I-I found her when I got lost, and then wanted to clean her up…so…" here she trailed off, not meeting his gaze.

"Very well then, you may keep her."

Orihime started violently, her eyes wide with surprise. She looked up at him disbelievingly. She had never expected him to let her keep her.

"However," here she began to feel disappointed, "I will place a ward to conceal the leaking reiatsu, so that she doesn't bother anyone except you. And," here he paused, "_do_ clean her up, please." He wrinkled his nose slightly as an expression of his distaste for the condition the tapestry was in. "Now," he said politely, "I have to leave. Here's your birthday gift from everyone else in 6th squad who hasn't given you anything thus far. They put their extra money together and bought you this."

The stone that he pulled out of thin air was strange to Orihime; she didn't think there was a piece of it anywhere in the great stone abode that she called home. It appeared to be milky white, at first. Then she saw the blues, reds, greens, and yellows that shimmered under its surface wavelike under the light. He placed it gently in her hands, and she held it up in front of the window, above her head. It seemed to turn a pure emerald colour, gilt in gold.

"It is called 'Opalite', if I remember correctly," Byakuya interrupted her entrancement.

Orihime blushed in embarrassment for having forgotten that he was still there. He was just so silent, and the stone was just so beautiful. "Thank you very much! For both your present and for delivering this! Please tell them how grateful I am!"

He nodded curtly. "While you were looking at the gem, I put the ward on the tapestry. There is something you should know about it, however. Two, actually. First, that tapestry is not made of cloth. I can't tell what it was originally, but it was definitely not that. Secondly, that isn't a human soul in there." He had felt it when she had spoken in his mind.

He saw Orihime start to panic. "No, princess, she isn't a Hollow either. Just wasn't human when she was alive." She calmed down. "Now, I will see you later. Good day." Giving a bow just as slight as his nod had been, he turned and vanished before her eyes.

Unknown to either, the tapestry had rolled herself into a tube, and kept going until she was under Orihime's bed.

Please tell me what you guys think of this chapter. By the way, opalite is a real stone. I own a ring and some small egg-shaped pieces made out of it. If anyone out there has a piece, try looking at it under the microscope with the light on! It turns into the most amazing green in the world! Once again, sorry for the late update. I felt more like sleeping than writing.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. As much as I would like to… (shrugs) oh well.

Originally, I only planned to have the tapestry as a filler for when Orihime was lost. She wormed her way into the story, of her own free will. Not my fault. She wrote _herself_ in. I'll tell you guys her real name eventually…

Chapter 4

After much frantic searching, Orihime did find the tapestry. It took her about an hour, though. She had looked under the bed at least three times before she saw her.

Orihime immediately named her 'Elpis', vaguely remembering the name having something to do with 'hiding' and 'spirit'. She couldn't quite put her finger on the meaning, but figured it wasn't important anyways. (Hearing Orihime calling her that for the first time, Elpis laughed to herself for days. Orihime had unknowingly named her after an _evil_ spirit. Not that she minded…)

As Orihime didn't really feel like walking around the castle aimlessly till supper, she summoned a servant with a bucket of warm, soapy water. She also asked for several cleaning rags, as well as a couple of dry towels (none of the good ones).

Once they were brought up, she immediately set to. She dunked the cleaning rags in the bucket, then rung most, but not all, of the water from it. Then she gently, carefully, dabbed at the bottom left hand corner of Elpis' prison. When cleaning a tapestry, one cannot just start scrubbing away. That might take off any jewels, gilt, or enamel in the fabric (even though it wasn't made of cloth, she decided to be cautious anyway).

To her surprise, the grime came off more easily than she expected. This wouldn't take as long as she had thought it would. However, there were many layers of the stuff, so it wasn't going to be finished _that_ quickly.

Being Orihime, she decided to finish the edges first, then work her way inward (sort of like how you do puzzles). When she finally got down through the final coat of gunk, she was amazed at the sheer amount of workmanship that had been hidden for such a long time.

The edges of the tapestry were made entirely of gold and ebony threads, wound together expertly into complicated patterns that made Orihime's mind hurt to think of how they might have been accomplished.

As she uncovered more, she gently dried off the uncovered places with the towels. Water could leave lasting damage on the delicate patterns if it was left there long enough.

Orihime continued to work for a long time on Elpis' restoration. She eventually found that Byakuya had been correct when he said that the tapestry wasn't cloth. The gold and ebony threads were sewn into the main part of the tapestry, so they were more like a fancy, stiff fringe that wouldn't move around.

She still couldn't tell what had been used in place of fabric, though.

Having to stop was an eventuality that Orihime was reluctant to admit. The water in the bucket, not to mention the rags and towels as well, had turned black with all of the dirt, grime, and grease accumulated in the tapestry over the years.

Not to mention the fact that she was exhausted and wanted to pass out right there in the middle of the floor.

Heaving a great sigh, she stood up and stretched. She yawned hugely as she draped the drying tapestry over the back of a chair. Calling a servant to take away the cleaning supplies, she also asked them to pass on the message that she was too tired to attend supper with her parents tonight. Hearing the load growl that Orihime's stomach chose to emit right that minute, the servant said that he would have her dinner sent up to her room. She thanked him as he left.

She hauled herself into her giant bed, not bothering to change her clothes for the night. So her dress would have some wrinkles on it in the morning. Easily fixable, with a little steam.

Her stomach continued to make embarrassing noises. Maybe she shouldn't have skipped out on lunch earlier. She didn't have to wait very long for her food. A platter was brought and handed over to her. Orihime dismissed her maids, so that she could eat in peace.

She glanced over to where Elpis was. She tentatively reached her mind out toward her, trying for some sort of contact, some awareness other than her own. She dared to hope that Elpis could talk to her, tell her things, anything. Stories, gossip, history, whatever, Orihime wanted to know that she wasn't ever alone, even if she was physically the only one in her rooms.

Nothing, at first. Then something seized her mind, grasping it tightly. Orihime was overcome by fear, and the contact vanished beneath the surge of emotions. She tried to regain it, but no luck. She fell upon her food, instead, gobbling up every little bit before she fell asleep.

Elpis was disappointed. She had been trying to talk to Orihime since she had first named her this. But the girl just had too many emotions in the way, no control whatsoever. When Orihime had calmed down enough to try it herself, Elpis had taken a hold of her, as if she were a lifeline. Lack of control had destroyed the small link. No use trying again tonight, the teenager was just too scared. Oh well. Tomorrow, then, Elpis would try again.

She didn't have very high hopes though.

I apologize for the shortness of this chapter compared to the others. This is all that needed to be said, for now. Oh, and, I will give a virtual cookie to anyone who knows what the word 'Elpis' stands for, and what she was. I'll give you guys a hint: she is in mythology. Later!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters. Sue me, and I hurt you.

Cookie for NobleAngel015!! Ya got it!! For those of you who are too lazy to look up the definition and historical context for the name Elpis: shame on you! Just kidding. Enjoy.

Chapter 5

Deep underground, beneath the very foundation of the castle, several unwanted guests had made their home. The labyrinthine passageways were meant to trap, fostering despair and hopelessness for the possibility of escape. Walls of Sekiseki blocked one visitor from sensing another, and from those above from knowing of their existence here in the first place. Useful, if one could only find a way in and out.

"Aizen? Where are you taking us?" Tousen's calm voice asked carefully, as they wound their way even farther into the belly of this beast.

"Ah, it is not I who am leading us though," the ex-captain replied calmly, indicating Stark ahead of them. "This place is sacred for hollows, and I wish to discover why."

"How much farther is it? My feet are beginning to weary me greatly." Gin had his usual trademark grin on.

"Not very long now. We are almost to the center." Stark started to yawn, wishing desperately for a nap. "Oh, here it is."

Whatever they had been expecting, it certainly wasn't the sight that greeted them. They had been walking on smooth, gray bedrock before, now the floor had suddenly turned to multihued sand. There were large, black hunks of _something_ littering the pit. Actually, black was everywhere: across the sand, snaking up the walls and great, dark splashes across the ceiling.

Aizen tried to walk forward, to get a closer look, but ran into a barrier of some sort. He placed both hands on the smooth surface, feeling for a break.

"There's no way in," Stark informed him bluntly. "It won't come down with force either. Believe me; hollows have made attempts to get in there for millennia. Thus why they consider it sacred. Of course, the legend may have something to do with that, buuuuttt…," here Stark shrugged, "whatever."

"Do explain," Aizen ordered, in an encouraging tone.

"What is this pit made out of?" Stark asked, rhetorically, not actually expecting an answer. Too bad for him, he got one.

"Different types of sand."

Stark shook his head no. "Look closer. Also, notice the barrier starts with the first 'grain'."

Upon closer inspection, the ex-shinigami realized that Stark was right. Not sand at all, but rather millions of tiny shards of jewels, each unimaginably sharp looking. That's also when they figured out what the dark stains were.

"Something was cut up into teeny tiny pieces in here, while it was still _alive_."

Ulquiorra, who had been following behind his 'father' with the rest of the Espada, felt bile rise up to the back of his throat as he heard the rest of the story. He kept his face emotionless, though, as 'Death' had no feelings or emotions. Hah. Judging by the expressions on some of the others' faces, they were taking it even less well.

"Hollow legend, mind you, is not the most accurate thing in the world," Stark went on, oblivious to the gagging sounds in the background. "Anyway, a long, loooong time ago, this place was built as a special prison of sorts. Basically, anybody the people above couldn't deal with, they tossed down here for _us_ to eat. Ironically, they've forgotten that the source of all the hollows in this kingdom, if not the entire world, is right beneath their feet. And they can't even sense us."

Stark laughed hysterically for a few moments, and then regained his bored and sleepy face. "Then they found a problem they couldn't handle, in the form of some creature terrorizing them more than we did. Amazing accomplishment, really. A real fighter, this one. She wouldn't back down, even after being sliced multiple times. Some of her wounds were thought to be fatal, but she kept coming, regardless. The only thing different between each encounter was that her scars multiplied, and so did the body count."

"Hmm, remind you guys of anyone?" Aizen looked at Gin and Tousen. They all nodded, remembering Kenpachi Zaraki's strange habit getting cut and not feeling the pain. Enjoying it, even.

"They got her, eventually. Tied her up so tightly that the chains created sores whenever she _breathed_, let alone any attempt to struggle. Which she did, of course. Who wouldn't, in that position." That wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Curiosity got its hold on her captors, once they had her in their grasp. They started to study what her body was made of, where the weak spots in her hide were, what made her intelligent. She was conscious when they sliced her open to look inside, even when they were looking at her brain. No painkillers, of course."

"How did she live, then? Surely she would have bled out a long time beforehand." Tousen was beginning to look rather ill, himself. Stark just looked plain ashamed at having to say these things out loud. Zaerua-Pollo had an extremely creepy thoughtful look on _his_ face. It made everyone a little bit nervous.

"In response to your question, My Lord Tousen, I do not know. Only that she survived, perhaps through sheer tenacity. It is not likely we will ever find out." He sighed greatly. "Back on topic, she watched them as they did two of the most horrible things in the world to her. The first of which, she could've learned to live with, given time. She would _never_ forgive them for the second act."

"Oh? So what happened, then?" Gin had a somewhat concerned expression on his squinty-eyed face.

"The first thing they did was to drag her down here; that pit wasn't there, yet. They tied her to the ground, and then slowly, methodically, broke her wings in hundreds of places. For her kind, being able to fly was everything. Not being able to would have been too much for any other, but she could've lived with it.

"As for the second thing those humans did…" Stark flinched, then continued, "They rolled her onto her back then thrust stakes, or swords, or _something_ sharp, through them, effectively pinning her to the ground. Then they slit her belly open, and took out something she could not live without."

Stark was silent, so Halibel took up the story, instead. "We know it was a she, because they removed at least two dozen eggs from her." She indicated the 'sand', "Then they smashed them into little pieces right in front of her." Halibel's voice was even colder than normal, it was arctic. "She went insane with anger and hatred. Why would hollows worship her otherwise? She bled to death over a period of _months_ after she murdered the '_scientists'_," Halibel hissed the last word, as if it were an abomination that must be dealt only with death.

Stark started talking again, "Death was too good for those people. Her cries of sadness, loneliness, and hatred, attracted many hollows to this place before her spirit left. She ate them. Barrier's been in place ever since she died."

"Then why are there no bones, or skin left?"

"This force field was there only after she left; more people came and separated the body from the soul. That's why there isn't more blood. The body was still alive when they cut it into segments. A rather more merciful end than the slow death she was already enduring. Bleeding to death on the remains of what would have been her future children. In fact, that was what was causing her to die in the first place."

"Gruesome," came the rather unnecessary comment from the peanut gallery (meaning Gin).

"Moving on—my lord, what are your orders on the boy you mentioned before?"

"Simple, Grimmjaw. Ulquiorra, you will go to the surface and search for a boy of about 15 years. He will be recognizable for his orange hair and black bankai. If he is a threat, dispose of him. I'll leave the decision up to you."

Ulquiorra bowed low. "Yes, Lord Aizen." He started to walk away, only to have Yami detach himself from the others and follow.

"Hey, Ulquiorra."

"Yes, Yami?"

"Take me with you, this place is so boring."

"I don't care what you do. You are the one who will have to deal with the consequences when you return." With that, Ulquiorra calmly opened a portal and stepped through. Grumbling to himself, Yami followed after a couple of moments.

Ulquiorra and Yami exited in a bright green open space, creating a rather large crater. While Yami stared at all of the curious humans, Ulquiorra started looking for the boy. He heard Yami yelling something at him, but he didn't really care, so he gave a cursory answer.

The tenth Espada breathed in deeply, sucking in all of the nearby souls. "Yuck!" he cried. "Those were disgusting!"

"Idiot. What were you expecting?" Ulquiorra said quietly. He mulled over the story from earlier, feeling distaste for both it and his reaction to it. It was not as if he hadn't heard it before, but…there was just something..._wrong..._about it.

Deciding it didn't matter, he pushed it to the back of his mind to get to later. Right now, he had a mission.

As the authoress, I would like to apologize for this chapter. This was mostly meant as filler, but ended up really strange. I had to take a lot of breaks while writing it though. My imagination is one hell of a lot more graphic than anything I could put into words. Tell me if I should change anything for this one. Ciao.


	6. Chapter 6

Cookie for Alastor506 as well!! Yay!

Disclaimer: I no own! I just borrow!

Eh hem. In other news, I have this other strange story floating around in my head right now, so I will be devoting some of my time to it as well. I will not forget this one though! This one has a special place in my heart!

Chapter 6

Orihime sat up in her bed with a jolt. She didn't remember falling asleep at all, though she must have finished her dinner and then done so, for the empty dishes were there on her bedside table.

Not feeling like dressing up today, she rummaged through her closet. She pulled out a pair of midnight blue trousers and a sky blue blouse that hugged her chest in a way that was very flattering. She put on tall, white, lace-up shoes (more like boots) that went mid-shin.

She brushed out her hair herself, dismissing all of her attendants this morning. She didn't feel up to being primped, either. Her blue pins graced her hair as usual, but her hair was left down. The dragonfly pin was left on the table in one of the other rooms.

She rolled Elpis up and pushed her under the bed, unable to shake a sense of foreboding that she'd had ever since she woke up. Breakfast was delivered to her suite, and she ate what little she could at the large mahogany table in her sitting room.

Pushing aside her half-empty plate, she looked toward the door, getting more and more worried by the minute. Something was going to happen, something bad. But she didn't know what.

Unable to stand it any longer, she stood and strode out into the hallway. She wanted to talk to Tatsuki about this feeling. Walking rather fast, she made her way down to the guardroom. She didn't get lost on the way, for once.

"Hey, is Tatsuki here?" she asked as she poked her head around the corner. She couldn't see her.

"No," Ichigo, on break, broke off from his newest shouting contest with Rukia. "I think she went to that one park in the city, like she always does. Maybe you should try there."

"Thank you Ichigo!" she shouted as she ran off.

"No problem, Inoue."

Orihime jogged all the way down the road that led to the city, pausing only briefly to say hello to the guards. Her feet made clicking noises on the cobblestones, keeping time with the beating of her frantic heart. The tension in the atmosphere had only increased since earlier, and she was filled with an inexplicable fear.

It only took her perhaps five minutes to reach the main marketplace, but she was already panting heavily from running so fast. As she slowed down to catch her breath, she saw a familiar face.

"Hi Chad!" she called, waving vigorously.

The giant teenager looked up from one stall's wares. "Good morning, Orihime."

She nodded, and then felt something inside of her plummet. A lot of reiatsu had just vanished, coming from the direction of the park. Chad and Orihime looked at each other silently, and then they both took off running towards where Tatsuki was supposed to be.

They arrived just in time to save Tatsuki from getting smashed by a large, brown brute with a nasty disposition. Chad used his armour to attack him, while Orihime laid her eyes upon the monster's ethereal companion.

She felt an electrical shock pulse through her body in recognition of this stranger. She couldn't remember having seen him anywhere before in her life, but something inside knew him. She couldn't explain this feeling, but she thought she saw the same on his face, even if it was just for a second. Then the emotionless mask settled back into place as he regarded her coldly.

"Hey! Ulquiorra! Is he it?!"

_Ulquiorra_, she thought. _It's a strange name, but somehow, it suits him_.

"Yami, if you spent more time thinking and observing rather than just mindlessly using your strength, you might actually notice that he is definitely not the one we're after. Does it look like he has orange hair to you? He is obviously trash."

"Ok, then!"

She saw everything go in slow motion, and how unmatched Chad and Yami were. When she saw Chad's arm get torn from his body, she almost couldn't hold back the tears.

"Ulll-qui-ooo-rrraaa!" Yami's annoying voice snapped him out of his private musings. "This girl! Is she trash too?!"

He barely spared her a glance. "Yes." He closed his eyes; he did not want to see this. He didn't understand why, though. He inwardly cursed the strange feelings that were beginning to well up inside of his non-existent heart. "Trash."

Orihime couldn't look up, as Yami attacked her. "Santen Kesshun," she said quietly, and as calmly as she was able. A bright triangle of light appeared before her, stopping Yami. She stood up slowly, defiance palpable in the very air surrounding her.

Yami looked confused. "What's going on with this one?"

"Souten Kishun." An oval shield appeared over Chad's arm. It started to reattach itself to the rest of him.

"This one can heal?!"

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes fractionally. No, this wasn't healing, although it was very similar. It was more like…time was reversing itself at her command. His eyes suddenly glittered with curiosity at this strange phenomenon. "What a strange human…! This woman…" He continued to study her, more avidly than he had before. She seemed to be readying herself for something.

"Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun…I…REJECT!!!" A beam of light with a small, dark object in the center shot out at Yami. He blocked it easily with his hand.

"No…" her eyes were wide as she saw the pieces of loud mouthed guardian fall to the ground. "Tsu…Tsubaki…" she seemed to be on the verge of tears. The only thing keeping her from bursting into sobs was the shock, and fear.

"Hey, Ulquiorra!" He really wished Yami would just shut up and stop talking to him. "This one has some interesting tricks! Should I rip off her arms and legs and bring her back to Lord Aizen?"

Ulquiorra was rather disgusted at Yami's idea. It was just so…uncouth. Not to mention unnecessary. "No. Just kill her, Yami." He had no inkling as to why saying that hurt so much.

Orihime could only watch as Yami's hand descended towards her. She felt like she was being ripped into little pieces, just like Tsubaki. She could do nothing to stop the Espada from trying to kill her.

Death did not come, however. She looked up to see Ichigo blocking Yami with his sword. Relief rushed through her like a crashing wave.

Ichigo turned to look at her. "Sorry I'm late, Inoue."

As the two exchanged some words, Ulquiorra could not help feeling grateful for this boy to show up, ending this ridiculous farce of a mission. The girl seemed…important somehow as well. Perhaps he had been a bit too hasty giving her execution warrant. The boy's reiatsu suddenly spiked, drawing Ulquiorra's attention once again.

"Bankai!" the orange haired boy yelled, his zanpakuto changing. _Now_ things were getting interesting, in Ulquiorra's expert opinion.

"Bankai? Was that what he said…? Ulquiorra, is this the guy we're after…?" Yami had a rather stupid expression on his face as he scratched his head.

"Yeah. Luckily, your penchant for wanton, reckless, unnecessary destruction seems to have lured him out. Amazing, really." Ulquiorra was tired and exasperated at Yami's sheer stupidity. How in the world did he get to be an Espada?! "Orange hair…and…the black bankai. Yes, he is our target, Yami."

"Now we don't have to go through all the effort of tracking you down! Thank you!" Yami yelled before he swung his fist in the direction of Ichigo.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened a bit when Yami had his own right arm severed. _That idiot, Yami. I've told him time and again not to just lunge recklessly. This is what happens_. He felt even more annoyed than he had earlier. Being able to cut through Yami's skin was no mean feat, but this boy was still no threat to Lord Aizen. Coming to the surface world was a complete waste of time.

Ulquiorra allowed himself a small smirk as he saw Yami struggle. "Do you want to switch?" he teased cruelly.

"SHUT UP!!!" Apparently his comment wasn't appreciated very much. Yami grasped his own zanpakuto, prepared to draw it against Ichigo.

"Is it really necessary to use your zanpakuto on such a weak enemy?"

"I thought I told you to shut up!"

This was really beginning to amuse Ulquiorra, although his face remained as impassive as ever. _Some_ usefulness had come out of this little trip. There was that girl, for instance. And getting to see Yami all worked up over one pesky little shinigami was always a treat.

As he continued to be repeatedly hit by the tenth Espada, Ichigo's reiatsu flared at strange intervals. This perplexed Ulquiorra. The range went from trash, all the way to and above Ulquiorra's level. The Cuatra Espada couldn't find any logic in it.

Yami's next strike was blocked by a sword. Ulquiorra recognized the two newcomers from the descriptions that Aizen had given him. The King and Queen themselves had to see what was going on. Come to think of it…Ulquiorra wondered as to why more reinforcements had not arrived earlier, or even right now.

"Mother! Father!" Orihime called out, seeing them. She already felt safer with them nearby, as well as confidant that they would all survive this day, now.

_Mother…? Father…?_ Ulquiorra repeated in his head. _Ah, then this girl must be…_ he turned to look at her, _…the princess that Lord Aizen spoke of. Huh. She doesn't seem __particularly__ as beautiful as __Lord __Aizen said._

And he had called for her death unknowingly. Oops. He was going to be a little more than angry at Ulquiorra. It _was_ Lord Aizen's fault for not providing a description of the girl, however.

He continued to watch as Yami didn't think things through (since when has he?!) and lashed out the King. Yami had forgotten Yoruichi; stupid mistake, as per usual.

"What the hell?!" Yami shouted, panicking. "Where are you going?!" Yoruichi walked off to treat her daughter, ignoring the arrancar. Yami made the mistake of reaching out to the queen, whereupon he received a nasty kick to the face. Then she punched him and he fell down.

She picked up her daughter gently. "Can you swallow, honey?" She didn't have to see him to know that Yami was back on his feet and shouting about killing her. She whipped her head around as she saw him prepare a cero. _Damn!_ she thought.

He released the cero, then started to taunt to what he thought was a couple of corpses. (_Idiot_ was all Ulquiorra could think of about the subject.)

The haze from the blast cleared, and the two Espada saw that the king had blocked it with ease. "In case you were wondering," the arrogant man proceeded to explain why they were unscathed, "an explosion here would cause problems. So I just nullified the energy with the exact same amount that had a similar nature."

Yami was pissed, of course.

Muahahahha!! Cliff hanger! I am evil! See you guys next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: As much I would like to own Bleach and its characters, I don't. And probably never will.

Hello again. Not much is going on. School starts in a couple of weeks. I will try to write as much as I can beforehand. I posted the first chapter of my other fic, for those of you who are interested. Oh, and my mother said something stupid a couple of days ago. This is it.

Mom: What are you looking at?

Me: Bleach manga.

Mom: Who's that?

Me: Ulquiorra.

Mom: Wow, she's cute.

Me: (stares, then slaps forehead) Mom, Ulquiorra is a _guy_.

Mom: …oh.

Me: I've told you this before.

Embarrassing as it is, yes this is not this first time we've had this conversation. Wouldn't it be weird if she had been right…?

Chapter 7

"I'll kill you!" Yami screamed. Urahara just smirked, which made Yami even angrier.

"Oh?" the king asked. "Did you want a demonstration then? Very well. Cry, Benihime." He swung his sword, and a red wave of power followed the direction of the swing, rushing towards Yami.

It never got a chance to hit the shocked Espada, for Ulquiorra batted it away with his hand. It dispersed almost immediately. Yami started to say something to him, but Ulquiorra cut him off by plunging his fist into Yami's midsection.

He withdrew his hand and gave him a condescending stare. "You idiot. Those two are the King and Queen: Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin. At your level of power, you would never be able to defeat them. No matter how much you try."

Ulquiorra turned, opening a portal. "Now is the time to retreat."

"Are you actually going to run away?" Yoruichi didn't seem too surprised, actually.

A taunting smirk was allowed to surface on Ulquiorra's face. "That is a rather pathetic attempt to get a reaction. If you two fight me while trying to protect the trash at the same time…I obviously would have the upper hand.

"In any case, my mission here is done. I have evaluated the boy…and have found him wanting. He is not even worthy of Lord Aizen's attention. He is just trash like the rest." Ulquiorra gave one last cold, hard stare before he and Yami vanished.

* * *

A couple days after he returned Ulquiorra was summoned, along with the rest of the Espada, to once again review the images recorded in his eye previously. The gaping hole where it had once sat in his head was no longer there, his emerald orb having already regenerated.

He walked into the room and sat down at his usual place. The others trailed in after him in no real order. Once the tea had been served to everyone (Ulquiorra couldn't figure out why Aizen did this, hollows do not need to eat and drink human food), Aizen gave them all a hard look.

"When I was reviewing the images that Ulquiorra brought me, I discovered something interesting that I had missed earlier," he started without any preamble. He gestured towards the middle of the table, where the shattered remains of Ulquiorra's eye were. The scene started playing itself, beginning with Yami attacking the princess. Aizen slowed it down when it came to the healing part. "Now my Espada, what is this?"

There was some mutterings among the elite. "Time spatial distortion, my lord," Ulquiorra finally said when no one else could figure it out.

Aizen beamed at his favorite. "Does anyone else know what that is?" No one except Zaerua-Pollo did, and he didn't really count. Aizen explained what it was to the others while Ulquiorra tuned him out and looked at the frozen image of the girl's face. Fear was clearly visible upon her features. He studied it intently, trying to see the beauty that Aizen had mentioned before.

Unknown to the Cuatra Espada, Grimmjaw was watching his face intently. He was intrigued by Ulquiorra's confusion towards the girl. He glanced to the eye on the table. She was a looker, all right. He suddenly realized that Ulquiorra was having problems because he had the least memories of his life before he became a hollow.

Grimmjaw grinned evilly. This was going to be fun, getting the opportunity to taunt his superior over this woman.

Aizen had finished up with his small speech by now. "I think that the princess' powers may be useful to the awakening of the hougyoku. Perhaps we can convince her to help us." The way he said it left no doubt as to what he meant. "But first, those pesky guardians of hers need to be done away with."

"Lord Aizen," Gin piped up from his chair. "Why don't we send some of the weaker arrancar out across the kingdom, to spread their forces thin? Then send in the Espada for the ones that won't leave, as well as to secure the castle and country for ourselves?"

The brown haired man brightened considerably. "Yes, Gin. That could work. Excellent thinking." He nursed a thought or two before voicing them aloud. "We will need to keep some humans around afterword, for food purposes. So after the castle has been taken over, we will replace the human servants with arrancar. The lesser arrancar quarters will remain down here, Espada will move to the castle. Yes, this may work…" he trailed off, waving a dismissal to the rest. He turned to confer with Gin and Tousen while they left.

Ulquiorra had a bad feeling as he walked to his room, hands in pockets. Grimmjaw was planning something, but he wasn't sure what. Deciding to deal with it whenever it happened, he pushed it to the back of his mind.

* * *

Orihime sighed; she was feeling slightly depressed over the events a couple of weeks ago. Those people, _Arrancar_, she corrected herself, had given everyone a bit of a shock. They had shown up at the worst time, with all of the people who could actually fight them too busy with other things.

Things had only gotten worse since that first attack. There were sightings of regular hollows and arrancar all over the kingdom. The fighting had escalated to the point where most of the Captains and their divisions were spread throughout the entire country.

Then there was that surprise attack yesterday. Five high ranked arrancar, plus one Espada, had struck the city that lay in the very shadow of the castle. They retreated, in the end. However, it had been an extremely bold move, even if what Ichigo had heard what Tousen had said correctly. That the fighting was against orders was a bit disturbing to the King and Queen.

Feeling it necessary, they had recalled a couple of the Captains. They should be here in a few days. Even using shunpo, the kingdom was large.

The princess had the ominous feeling that the reinforcements would be too late for whatever the rogue shinigami were planning.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. But if Orihime gets tired of Ulquiorra, I wonder if she would give him to me…? Probably not, but hey, I can dream, right?

Um…if you see characters that appear from my other stories, there is a reason for that, I swear…but I won't reveal it until I get the epilogue of one of them!

Sorry for the extremely late update. Thank you everyone for all of your support for this fic!

Oh, and I forgot something. Warning, spoilers! Also, the phrase in italics is actually from the manga. I thought it sounded cool, so here it is. Aren't I a dork…? Also, I used some of the actual dialogue.

**Chapter 8**

"Oh, Lilith." The arrancar stopped, and turned around to face her creator.

"Yes?"

"Do stay out of our way when we kidnap the princess. Your interference is not necessary," Aizen told the extremely disobedient arrancar.

Lilith stared at him, as much as she could. The remains of her hollow mask covered the top half of her face, with a point covering up her nose, as well. "Very well. It sounds boring, anyway."

Aizen was slightly surprised that she was giving in this easily. The only reason she _wasn't_ one of the top Espada, or even an Espada, was because her trickster streak made her incorrigible. "You may leave now."

She nodded to him and swept away, looking for someone new to bug. Hmm…maybe Szayel would have some toy that she hadn't seen before…

Orihime was shaken awake by her maids the next day. Groggy, she couldn't quite understand what they were babbling about. They were speaking too fast, and appeared to be going into hysterics.

Then she could suddenly hear what they were trying to tell her, all too clearly. They were under attack!

"Hurry, princess! Your father, the King, has told us that you are to escape by the Gate! Oh, please do move faster, please! The castle may become a battlefield at any moment!" Orihime dressed quickly, not caring what she threw on, so long as she could run in it.



Ordering her maids to evacuate as well through the use of the Gate, Orihime waited until they were safe before attempting the crossing herself. Just as she was about to enter, two shinigami suddenly appeared by her side.

"Forgive us for being late, princess. We are to be your escorts through the Gate." They bowed deeply, and then straightened back up.

"Um…you don't really have to…I mean…" Orihime started to say, but was cut off by the two.

"No, princess. It is our honour to escort you. In fact, it is rather insulting to you that there are only a couple of us."

Orihime shook her head. "No, our forces are spread thin as it is. I'm surprised that Father was able to spare even two guards for me in the first place. Thank you for coming with me!" She smiled brightly at the men.

They turned and entered the Gate.

As Orihime ran through the tunnel connecting the Gates, she couldn't help feeling as if she were being watched. It was impossible, she kept telling herself. That is, until she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Only two guards? How insulting. It seems that the Shinigami are more incompetent than I thought." Orihime stopped running and turned to face the green-eyed arrancar—fear apparent in her gaze. "However," he continued, "it does make things more convenient for me. Too bad though, I really wanted to stay and chat."(**AN: Straight from the manga!**)

_Therefore, let me inform you—all dreams are to be thrown away_.

My apologies for the extremely short update, but I figured that this was all that the chapter needed. Also, I figured I would throw my nice readers a bone.

I think this chapter sucks personally. Please tell me if you think so to, so I can change it if need be.


	9. Chapter 9

**Lilith: Sorry, the authoress disappeared for a while. She saw a bug and she couldn't help herself. She's just like a little boy: she has to chase, catch, and display every creepy-crawler that she can find. This includes snakes, frogs, worms, and bugs. Sometimes other critters as well, like birds. In any case, I'm updating for her.**

**Disclaimer: The authoress does not own Bleach since she gets too easily distracted to steal it from the true owner. Read the above if you don't believe me.**

**Lilith: Oh, yeah. She says that she apologizes for the extremely late update.**

**--**

**Chapter 9**

Aizen swept his calculating gaze over the newly vacant castle, the inner workings of his mind unknown even to his subordinates. (Although they were fairly certain that it had to do with world domination.) Gin and Tousen took their places besides their leader, while Stark, Halibel, and Barragan stood a little ways off, the only ones allowed to be in Aizen's presence at the moment.

The brunette man gave a slow nod, and then smiled slightly. "Yes, this will serve as a decent headquarters. For now, anyway." Then he walked forward a couple of steps, and turned around to face everyone behind him. "Summon the rest of the Espada not involved in battle right now. Ulquiorra must have finished with his task by now, and we must hasten to make this place…" he paused, thinking. "…_hospitable…_for our dear princess."

His smile could have rivaled Gin's in its creepiness. "Also, summon some of the lesser arrancar. This place is in need of a bit of redecorating, I feel."

--

Ulquiorra stepped nonchalantly out of the portal that he had created, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. Very little was going through Orihime's mind, but her body was filled with raw terror. The only thing that she could think of was how dangerous he was, and what had happened the last time she had seen him.

She watched in horror as the guards rose up to defend her, foolishly insulting the powerful arrancar in front of them. Something inside of her snapped when she saw the pale, green-eyed, tear-streaked monster pull one of his hands out of his white uniform.

"Wait!" she cried out desperately, trying to stop the bloodshed that she knew was about to occur. "Please, it's me you want to talk to, right?!" Then she felt something warm and wet spatter across her cheek.

As she stared at the guard that was now missing a good portion of his left side, Ulquiorra gestured with his hand for Orihime to come closer. "…That is correct, woman. I have business with you."

Temporarily ignoring the enemy in front of her, she touched her hairpins. "Souten Kishun! I reject!" The fairies, obedient as ever, rushed to the aid of the injured man.

Ulquiorra gazed impassively at the scene before him.

However, the other guard was shaking badly, warring with his need to protect the princess, and the desire to save his own skin.

His princess solved the problem for him, when she turned to him and shouted. "Run! Please, get away from here!" He sputtered for a moment, but she was insistent. "Please, run away! I beg of you!"

Then, with a horrible squelching sound, part of his body was also blown away in front of her eyes. Steeling herself, she called to her fairy Ayame, and extended the healing energy to encompass both shinigami.

"Hmm." Slight interest dawned in Ulquiorra's eyes; however you would have to look very closely to see it there. "You can regenerate injuries that extensive? Most impressive!" His voice had barely any inflection in it whatsoever.

Hands once again safely in his pockets, he took several steps forward, his coattails flapping in a nonexistent wind.

Orihime's hands shook violently, as she tightly controlled the blossoming anger inside of her. Whirling around to face Ulquiorra, she opened her mouth to give the arrancar a piece of her mind and power, only to be cut off before she could say anything at all.

"Follow me, woman."

She had been prepared for him to say that he was going to kill her, or actually go straight into the act, but not this. "Wha—" she managed to get out, before he interjected again.

"Don't speak." He stopped moving, standing only about fifteen feet from her. Much closer than she wanted him to be. And he was well aware of this fact. "You will say 'yes.' Reply any other way, I…" Orihime shuddered again, feeling like a leaf in high wind. "…won't kill 'you'…"

An ominous feeling descended on her, boding ill.

"But I'll kill you 'friends.'"

A cold sweat broke out all over the girl, sending chills down her spine. Fear coursed ever stronger through her veins, turning them icy, as she watched Ulquiorra open up portals that offered excellent views of her friends struggling in their own battles.

"Say nothing, ask nothing. You have no rights to anything." Ulquiorra's words pierced straight through the panicky fog her mind was in. "The only thing you have grasped in your hands is the string of the guillotine upon which the throats of your comrades rest. That is all."

He gazed at her with the same impassive stare he had since when he first arrived. His next words, though, had a biting finality to them. "Understand this, woman. This isn't a negotiation."

Orihime was positive that her heart was about to break apart with the cold words.

"It's an order."

Great pain lanced through her heart and soul. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to choke on the lump of despair that had magically appeared in her throat. Instead, she pressed her lips into a thin and hard line, attempting to get control of herself.

"Lord Aizen desires your power, and I've been instructed to bring you back unharmed."

She was silent, and stood her ground, unmoving. However, Ulquiorra was tired of dealing with her forced and foolish bravado.

"I'm only going to say it once more," he nearly gritted out, instead opting for firm and resolute tone of voice. "Come with me, woman."

She nodded weakly, unable to do anything else.

Ulquiorra relaxed minutely; he hadn't even been aware that he was at all tense. A feeling of relief swept though his body, making him feel slightly off-kilter. He rationalized this small emotion to himself with the idea that it would be far less trouble for him if she complied, than if she had been stubborn. "Good. Now," he withdrew his right hand from his pocket, which held a delicate silver bracelet in three of his fingers. "I'll hand this over to you."

Confusion must have shown on her features, for he began to carefully explain its purpose. "As long as you wear it, a special spiritual shell will surround you. Your existence will only be noticed by us arrancar." He tossed it to her, continuing. "You will also gain the ability to penetrate matter. Wear this, and don't let go of it." This last part was stated firmly, with no room for argument.

The princess caught it. She stared at it for a second, before giving a trembling, fragile, sad smile, never looking up at Ulquiorra. "I understand…"

The arrancar turned and started walking away, opening up a portal as he did. Looking back over his shoulder at the soon to be captive, his next words shocked Orihime enough to look up at him again.

"I will you a 12 hour grace period. During that time, I will allow you to bid farewell to one person only."

Hope began to swell once again inside of the princess, until his next words crushed it completely.

"However," oh, how she hated that word right now, "if he or she realizes anything, I will view that as a violation of my orders. You have until midnight to finish what you must, and report to the designated meeting place."

The portal began to close around him. "Remember, you may only bid farewell to _one_ person."

And then he was gone.

Orihime glanced at where her fairies had just finished healing the two guards. She heaved a small sigh of relief. She had saved them. But…she still couldn't shake the realization that their injuries were all her fault.

Shaking her head at the two men whose names she didn't even know, she recalled Ayame and Shun'o. Facing down the tunnel, she continued alone towards her original destination, where everyone she knew and loved was sure to be. A place far, far from home that the royal family had deemed a safe last retreat in case of an attack.

Karakura.

--

Ulquiorra was one step ahead of his prisoner in getting to where the others were. Then again, he planned to be at least that many steps ahead of her and her "nakama" at all times. It just made life that much easier.

What was a better topic to think about was what Aizen would do to him once he found out that Cuatra had ad-libbed direct orders. Ulquiorra had _doubled _the length of time he was supposed to give the girl. Then again, six hours was much less efficient than the twelve he had given her. With this many, she would be able to consider her decision in its entirety.

In addition, six would seem stingy on the part of the captors. This way, they seemed much more generous, benevolent, and not in any great hurry.

An efficient psychological trap that fit in nicely with Aizen's _other _orders.

"_Break her, make her loyal to you and by extension, me. Of course, I expect you to do this without any physical harm coming to our dear, precious princess."_

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow's enraged snarl snapped the pale arrancar out of his thoughts.

Removing his hand from Pantera's hilt, Ulquiorra gazed calmly at the blue-haired man whose transformation he had halted so easily. "The mission is complete," he said, not one to mince words. "We're going back."

Then the light of Negation shone down on the battling Espada and Wonderwice, rendering them untouchable.

Directing his line of sight downwards, Ulquiorra viewed the orange-haired shinigami below with slight disgust. "There are traces of energy here, and it appears that you have gained a new ability." He paused. "Although, is that all you're capable of?"

_Once trash, always trash._

"This is the end. There is no way for you to interfere." He chose his next sentence with care, an image of the woman glowing in his mind's eye, and her importance to the war foremost in his thoughts. "The sun has already sunken into our grasp."

--

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the long absence, but I had issues with ideas for this chapter. Then, they just came to me (really late at night, I might add), so I quickly wrote them down for you! The manga was a really big help for this chapter, but from here I'm going to diverge drastically.**

**Please, kindly review.**

**(For those of you that were wondering, you find out what happens with Elpis later.)**

**Oh, yeah. I didn't catch the stupid bug. Tch.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: (sitting around, twiddling fingers, then suddenly mobbed by a bunch of lawyers) AAAAHHH! Okay, okay! I don't own Bleach or any of its characters! Now someone get them off of me, I can't breathe!**

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: While some elements about the different tales of Pandora's Box are similar, there is many a debate over which is the correct version. Also, I used this to my advantage and just plain made some things up. Get it? Got it? Good.**

**Italics are thoughts. Bold and italics are actual memories.**

**--**

**Chapter 10 (double digits, yay!)**

"Ulquiorra," Aizen greeted in a warm, fatherly tone that scared Grimmjaw, who was right next to the pale arrancar.

He refrained from flinching, before answering, "I have returned, Lord Aizen."

"As I see." There was a short silence for a moment, as he gazed upon his subject with his warm eyes that didn't betray the coldness within. "Could you tell me why you gave the girl more time than I had allotted?"

Aizen's paternal expression did not change throughout Ulquiorra's explanation.

The green-eyed arrancar bowed his head low when he was finished. "I apologize, Lord Aizen."

The brown-haired man waved the apology away with his hand. "Do not worry about, Ulquiorra. I trust your judgment in this matter. However, please do run all decisions by me first." It was definitely not a request, but an order just like the one Ulquiorra had given Orihime.

"Yes, sir. I understand." He tried not to let his relief show. This could have ended very, very badly.

"Very good. You are all dismissed for now."

As the Espada (and Grimmjaw) filed out of the commandeered meeting room, Gin leaned in to whisper something to his leader. "Are ya sure that is good for him? He's never done this before, ya know."

The former shinigami waved this away, as well. "I'm not worried about it. Sometimes, it's good for a pawn to have some brains. Especially when they are as loyal as Ulquiorra is. It just makes him a higher ranked piece."

An insane smile worked its way onto his face. "Still, that doesn't change the fact that, like the pawns, he is still disposable."

**--**

Szayel cursed loudly and profusely, scaring his fraccion badly. Their master was never one to be excessively violent—outside of performing experiments, that is. This was beyond their—rather limited—knowledge.

The strange, pink-haired arrancar sat at his desk fuming. It didn't matter if he had nice equipment—courtesy of the former occupants of the lab—if he couldn't get his current project to work correctly.

Lilith wasn't exactly helping matters, either. She insisted on touching and examining _everything._ And he couldn't get her to leave so that he could concentrate in peace.

"If I combine the cube with the essence of a hollow and bits of spirit particles…" he trailed off, muttering to himself and scribbling notes furiously.

His unwanted guest leaned over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

He jumped. He hadn't heard her move. "I'm perfecting something. Now, go away."

She huffed, wandering away to inspect some interesting dials.

There was a significant problem with the Caja Negation, that Szayel wasn't willing to tell anyone. He had designed it with the express purpose of being able to recover the subordinates that he put into it. Instead, the fraccion weren't coming back when he tried to summon them. They just disappeared into the separate dimensional space that the cube created.

Then he heard the unmistakable tinkling of breaking glass.

"Oops," was Lilith's eloquent response to the destruction surrounding her. Several beakers and test tubes that had previously been resting on the counter were now lying on the ground quite broken. She watched (sort-of) with interest as the pretty colours mixed together…

**--**

Szayel's hands shook with fury as he beheld the scene in front of him. Lilith was now looking rather charred, as he imagined he must, as well. Apparently the pretty colours didn't mix well, if the resulting explosion had been any indicator.

"OUT!!" he yelled, pointing towards the lab doors.

"But, shouldn't I stay and help clean up…"

"NO! OUT! Why don't you go and help get the princess's room ready?!"

"Fine, fine," Lilith huffed, strolling out.

--

Elpis had been awakened at the same time as Orihime, not that the girl had noticed when she ran out. She wasn't happy at all, since she had been dozing a little (although, blacking-out really couldn't be called sleep), due to the sheer boredom of her prison.

And now, the castle was quiet again.

She was _not _pleased that she had been left behind, but what could she do about it? In any case, people would eventually come to occupy this place again; it had been that way for countless centuries. Even if it meant an interminable boredom, she would find something to amuse herself when sentient creatures (of any race, she didn't really care) came.

Until then, there were several things to occupy her mind. For instance, lately there had been a disturbance in her prison. She recently found herself in the company of strange creatures that seemed neither hollow, nor human, but rather some mixture of both.

They had all screamed and sobbed when they arrived. Something about...Caja Negation.

Whatever that was.

They certainly weren't there for long. Just because she was somewhere between life and death did not mean that she did not feel hunger. Still, they had tasted too much like human for her to like them. Elpis had never been fond of dark meat. Nevertheless, beggars couldn't be choosers, especially when it comes to food.

Just what the hell was going on in the normal world?

--

Ah, someone had come. Elpis only realized this vaguely, as her own thoughts and memories were not conjoined, and sporadic at best—so much so that she could no longer tell how much time had passed, or if any had in the first place. One of the downsides of being trapped in an eternal icy darkness created by the shadows that lurked inside of her.

Time moves both backwards and forwards.

On the other hand, peeking into like minds could give her some indication to go on. Unfortunately, she was not able to do so now. Really, emotions always got in her way. Shouldn't humanity have learned by now to not let those silly things control their thoughts and actions? She was not asking for total obliteration of one's heart, just a little self-restraint!

Which made her thoughts loop back to the bubbly human girl. How long ago was that? It could have been only a few minutes ago, but also could have been a century.

Elpis smiled to herself, unable to hate the emotion-riddled vexing simply annoying talkative bundle of sickeningly sweet joy. At least, not hate with quite the same intensity as she did with everything else.

After all, she had been given a name by this girl (even if it did slightly annoy her).

That name…it wasn't the first time she had been called by that. Maybe that was why she disliked it.

A memory drifted past, and out of boredom Elpis made a lazy grab for it. What surprised her though was that she actually managed to snag it. However, it was like unleashing an avalanche. More and more piled on, and all she could do was sit back and watch them play out—over, and over, and over again.

--

_**These creatures are too dangerous.**_

_Long, long ago, the gods were angry at mankind. Prometheus had given them fire—for which he was still being punished for—but the greater offense was the fact that mankind had accepted the gift._

_**The power of that fire is terrifying. It's not a normal flame. It's black, and cold.**_

_Something was needed to break the paradise the world had become._

_**Capture them all. Erase their existence.**_

_So, they gathered up every evil they could find in the underworld: pestilence, greed, pride, hate, anger, sorrow. They locked them inside of a beautiful box that belied what lay within._

_**What are you doing?! NO!! LET ME OUT OF HERE!!**_

_**Give the key to someone you trust.**_

_**No…it's so dark here…**_

_**Guard it well.**_

_Then, they gave it to one of their own creations: a woman named Pandora who was filled with far too much curiosity for her own good._

_**Can't anyone hear me?!**_

…

_**Someone, anyone…please hear me…**_

--

Okay, even Elpis thought it was weird that she commentated and narrated on her own memories.

--

_One day, Pandora could no longer resist the ever-growing temptation to open the box. Whenever she leaned in close to it, she could hear many pitiful voices crying out: "Save us, Pandora! Free us from our miserable prison! Please, please let us go."_

_**Please! I beg of you! Please let me out of here!**_

_That had been too much. So, she opened the lid. In doing so, the evils of humanity escaped their captivity._

_**FREEDOM!!**_

_They fell upon the world, erasing paradise._

_**YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID.**_

_However, in her shock, Pandora had let the lid fall again, trapping the last spirit inside. She could hear it calling, calling. Its loneliness hurt her heart even further. Figuring that she couldn't possibly do any more damage, she opened the box once more._

_**Thank you, thank you, thank you…**_

_What flew out eventually came to be known as the spirit of hope. Considered an evil, it had also been locked away._

_**You're so pretty. Can I call you Elpis?**_

_Little did Pandora know that what she released was not only that. Hope and Despair are two sides of the same coin, after all._

_**I am what I am. What did I ever do to you?**_

_Hope flew everywhere, never calling any one place her home. She wasn't really a spirit—merely a once-mortal creature delegated to this ever-lasting torture. Nor was it really the gods who had locked her away with the others the first time. That was just the way humans told it._

_**I'm so lonely. Where did everyone go?**_

_She was captured, again and again. New prisons, but the same situation. Loneliness would eat away at her. _

_**Hello?**_

_**Anyone?**_

_Always, a new Pandora would eventually set her free._

…_**You again?**_

_**What do you mean again?**_

…_**Nevermind.**_

_**I don't know why, but—can I call you Elpis?**_

…_**Sure.**_

_Who would it be this time?_

--

Back and forth, back and forth.

Damn Time.

--

The new prison was annoying.

She really, really disliked this personal hell of hers. Sitting in a dark place with nothing but her thoughts.

Long, long ago, she had lost what little sanity she had possessed. Oddly enough, she lost it to her own mind.

No, no more. That particular train of thought would only make her head hurt even worse.

However, a small light had begun to shine through the darkness. It wasn't even noticeable, unless you had been there for as long as Elpis had. A portion of her window to the world had been cleaned.

The prison bindings were beginning to unravel, perhaps for the final time.

Settling down, she chose to enter a state of semi-sleep.

For now.

--

**Okay, seriously, you guys all have to review and tell me how it was. Don't worry; all of this makes sense later on if you're confused right now.**

**I swear that it is relevant.**

**Um…that's all I have to say.**

**Oh, look! A bug! (Gone.)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: (holding on to Ulquiorra's coattails) Gimme.**

**Ulquiorra: No.**

**Me: Gimme.**

**Ulquiorra: No.**

**Me: Gimme!**

**Ulquiorra: No.**

**Me: GIMME!!**

**Ulquiorra: Never.**

**Me: I don't own Bleach, and Ulquiorra refuses to give me his coat.**

**Ulquiorra: With good reason.**

**Ha ha, I loved all of your reviews, guys! I know the last chapter was confusing, but I'll make it clear…eventually…yeah… (Sulk) Pandora's Box IS relevant, but…in a rather roundabout fashion.**

**--**

Orihime stepped out of the portal and gazed around at the quiet town she was now in. Karakura. Such a peaceful place, with the sun shining down on it.

'_Twelve hours,'_ she thought. _'I have twelve hours to decide who to say goodbye to, and to actually say goodbye.'_ Orihime's face fell even further than it already had. _'How do I pick one person, when there are so many I want to say goodbye to…?'_

It was very cruel, having to choose only one person. It may have seemed like a kindness, and indeed, it was Aizen's intention for it to be so, but that cruelty was the reality of the matter. The cruelty of this was all the princess could dwell on, for the moment.

Then she shook her head vigorously. Lightly slapping her cheeks, she pulled herself back out of the gloom. Since when had she been such a gloomy, un-fun person?! No, she was going to figure a way out of this mess, and that was that!

Determination renewed, she thought over her situation once more. Twelve hours. One person to say goodbye to. Afterwards, when she had been taken to the castle where Aizen was, she would just have to figure out a way to escape. After all, she grew up in that giant hunk of rock! She knew it much better than any stupid old arrancar!

Right?

Orihime felt a burning wetness at the corners of her eyes.

…Right?

--

So much time was perhaps not a blessing at all. It just gave Orihime more time to agonize over whatever decision she would have to eventually come to. It also would also cause her pain after she decided and actually said farewell, because then she might regret the decision, thinking of all the other people she could have seen instead.

In the end, she realized that having a lot of friends in this situation probably wasn't such a good thing.

But then she thought about all of the wonderful memories she has because of those same friends, and she felt like a truly terrible person for feeling that maybe they were a bad thing.

It felt like her heart was being ripped out, piece by raw piece. And there was nothing to stop the bleeding caused by it. Silently, invisibly, bleeding to death.

Walking down the surprisingly empty street, Orihime glanced at a clock on a post. Six hours she had already spent wallowing in her despair. _'No more!'_ she berated herself. No more, she couldn't allow herself to waste anymore time!

But the more that she thought that, the more that same time just seemed to slip through her grasping fingers.

It was three hours later that she came to a conclusion, one that she thought might have a chance of working. She could just write letters to everyone! Only, she wouldn't actually say goodbye in any of them. She would just say how grateful she was for just the pleasure of having spent many wonderful times with them.

Arriving at the mansion that her parents and brother would stay in, she felt a strange twinge. As if someone was watching her. Then she remembered what Ulquiorra had said and dismissed the feeling as nothing important. Ulquiorra had no reason to lie to her, and besides, he really hadn't seen the type from what little she had observed; there was no real gain from lying, after all she would find out soon if people could see her or not.

Easily passing through the gates and walls, she entered the building. The servants, busily working, didn't notice her presence at all. Just like that arrancar had told her they wouldn't.

Running quickly, she went straight up to her brother's room to write him a message first, unwilling to even dwell upon the sorrow and loneliness slowly seeping through the cracks in her heart.

--

"There!" Orihime declared out loud, since no one would be able to hear her anyway. Carefully folding and placing her brother's note in an inconspicuous spot on his desk, she ran off to her parents' room to write theirs.

Once she was gone, the note was pulled out and opened. Aizen's orders to Ulquiorra had been clear, given after the first couple of hours that Orihime had been left to her own devices. _**Follow the girl around, and make sure she doesn't try anything sneaky. We wouldn't want that, now would we?**_

Debating internally, Ulquiorra wondered whether this kind of note counted as disobeying the orders given to the girl. Upon reading the contents of the note, he could see nothing that even hinted at the fact that she was going away, or who was taking her.

All that he could see in the contents were rather pointless prattle about various pointless things. Still though—Aizen would reprimand him if he left the note there and if it happened to be some sort of code. Although Ulquiorra didn't think that the girl was intelligent enough to come up with something like that, his lord would demand that he destroy the note, innocent as it looked.

But…it felt…weird…to do that. Ulquiorra didn't understand why—heck, he didn't even understand what the note was about, much less this—but he knew that he was uncomfortable with destroying the scrap of paper.

So, hiding it from his all-seeing eye, he tucked the scrap away for later.

Casually striding through the halls, he had no fear of Orihime catching him following her. The girl would be rushing about too much to take any real notice of her surroundings.

Ulquiorra also wasn't particularly worried about losing track of her either, thanks to the bracelet the girl wore. Besides, he was much quicker than she and could catch up easily again.

Reaching the room he was looking for, he searched for the new note. Ah, there it was. There was only one, as it was addressed to both parents. Slipping it into his pocket as well, he moved on without bothering to read it.

Perhaps reading the notes at a later time could help ease some future boredom. Maybe.

--

After leaving all of the notes, Orihime paused in front of the last house she had to visit. The person she was going to say goodbye to.

It hadn't been too hard to find the house, since _his_ family lives in Karakura, anyway. Ichigo. The boy she had been in love with for several years.

She couldn't even describe just how nervous she was. Yet…she didn't have too much time left. Half an hour before she had to meet the arrancar with those strange tear-marks.

Stealing her nerves, she clamored up the tree next to the house. Reaching out carefully, she stepped onto a part of the roof that would allow her access into Ichigo's room.

Still being careful (since she was pretty sure that falling off the roof would hurt), she moved through the wall and entered the room. "Here we go," she said, trying to comfort herself. She was so very nervous, and actually looking at Ichigo was making it worse.

She felt a pang in her heart when she saw his bandages. It was all her fault that he and the others were injured. All her fault.

Putting a hand behind her head, she forced a very nervous laugh. Even in his sleep, Ichigo had that eternal frown. He was going to have a lot of wrinkles in his forehead when he got older!

Clearing her throat, she thought about what to say to the slumbering man. "I'm really here," she said to herself in amazement. "You know," she began, merely standing next to the bed, "there are a lot of people I want to say goodbye to." She then listed off a few of her friends' names.

Trailing off, she just stared at Ichigo, unsure of what to say next. It felt kind of awkward to be talking to someone who was sleeping, and a light blush dusted her cheeks.

Hearing a noise, she jumped, only to find that Ichigo's younger sisters were sleeping on the floor on the other side of the bed. Yuzu was looking particularly comical, holding onto the bed sheet and pulling it off of her brother.

"I see…that Karin and Yuzu ate dinner in here," Orihime observed from the half-eaten plates nearby. Unsure of herself, she just started to rattle on about whatever came to mind. "Well, of course they wanted to eat with Ichigo, since he hasn't been around lately. Of course they missed him, and wanted to eat with him…in his…room…" she trailed off, realizing that she had never actually been in Ichigo's room before.

'_That's right,'_ she thought, '_I've always wanted to do…the same thing…'_

Fully aware of what she was doing, she gripped Ichigo's hand and leaned down. Closer and closer, until their faces were almost touching; Orihime could even feel Ichigo's quiet, even breathing.

Unable to stop herself, the tears sprang into her eyes and rolled down her cheeks, some escaping and falling onto Ichigo's face. "…I-I can't do it…" she sobbed, trying futilely to wipe away the burning water. She laughed sadly. "I'm such a bad person…I try to do something like that…"

Wiping the last of the tears away, she sat on the windowsill. "Ichigo…there is…so much that I want to do. I want to become a teacher…and a knight…and open a bakery…and go to Granny's bakery shop on Royal Street and say, 'Give me everything…!' And, go to that one sweet shop we love and say, 'Give me everything…!'"

A clear light entered her eyes as she imagined it all. "Ahhhh! If only I had five lives!" She started counting off on her fingers excitedly, feeling like a child again. "Then I could be from five different towns, and stuff myself full on five different types of food, and have five different jobs…" She trailed off again, looking down at Ichigo.

"And…I could…fall in love with the same person five times."

Ichigo merely slumbered on, unaware of Orihime's presence. Gently taking his hand, she healed it.

Heart full of tears and gratitude, the princess finally said what she wanted to say. "Thank you, Ichigo." Her words were bursting with her true feelings and all of her soul.

"Goodbye."

With that, she left. Running quickly, she hoped that she would make it to the meeting place in time.

--

_**Meanwhile…**_

Lilith stared at the spotless room in front of her. "How in the world am I supposed to fix this up? It looks fine the way it is!" she griped, scaring the lesser arrancar around her.

"Um, ma'am?" ventured a tiny female, shrinking from Lilith's barely taller form.

The almost-Espada turned and inclined her head in the arrancar's general direction. "Yeah?"

"Maybe, you could help us with moving this…?" She pointed to a dusty tapestry in the corner.

Blinking behind her mask's fragment, Lilith wondered how in the world that had escaped her attention. "Sure, no problem," she replied, hoisting the dirty thing on her shoulder. "Where should I put it?"

The Tiny One (as Lilith had dubbed her—although considering her own stature it was hypocritical) sputtered, trying to deal with the fact that someone powerful was actually asking her how to do something. "Um…maybe…out of the way…over here?" she pointed to the back of a closet.

Shrugging, Lilith tossed it back there. Just as she was about to walk away, she felt a brief burst of killing intent aimed in her direction. Peering at the tapestry for a moment, she felt a little nostalgic. Deciding to ignore it, however, she wandered out.

"Hey, you—what's your name and number?" she inquired of The Tiny One.

"Number 44...Aquila Alba."

Perfect.

"Now that I seem to be done here," she started, already half out the door, "could you show me where the library is? I need to do some research."

"Umm…okay…" Aquila scurried out behind the more powerful arrancar. "Which library do you want to use?"

The other woman froze in her tracks. "Wait a minute…there's more than one?!"

"Yes, there are four. One for court reports, one for research files from the labs, one for enjoyment, and the last is for historical documents."

Lilith quietly despaired.

Grimmjaw chose that moment to stride by, glancing at the scene before him. A lesser arrancar was trying to console Lilith, who was sitting in the middle of a personal sphere of darkness and gloom. "You're growing mushrooms, ya weirdo," he commented, not stopping.

He couldn't see this, but his comment made Lilith bolt straight up and out of the gloom. She grabbed her right boot and threw it at him. It hit his head, temporarily knocking him unconscious.

"Run!" Grabbing the boot, she took off down the hall. "Historical library!" she told her escort, who was also trying to escape Grimmjaw's inevitable wrath upon waking.

--

Lilith's mouth dropped open when she saw the library. Once again, she quietly despaired in a corner. There was no way she was going to be able to look through all of that. Unless…

She whipped her head around, staring at the little arrancar nearby. The girl fidgeted beneath the stare, despite knowing that Lilith couldn't actually _see_ her. It still made her really nervous. "Um…yes, ma'am?" she ventured, trying to keep her composure.

"Can you help me look through all of these?" Aquila blinked. She hadn't been expecting a request—maybe an order, but not a request. "That is," Lilith quickly said, "if you don't have any other obligations to fulfill right now."

"No, I don't. I'd be glad to help," Aquila replied, smiling.

--

Several hours later, Lilith jolted upright. Her search had yielded…absolutely nothing. But then again, she had only gotten through a couple of books. Mostly because one of them had been really interesting and she couldn't help herself…seriously, who knew that the affairs of the kings could be so funny?

Then she thought about what could have possibly have startled her so badly. She had felt…something. But she couldn't place her finger on what that something was. A passing emotion…of that she was sure. A warm one.

But that's all she could remember, since she hadn't exactly been paying much attention in the first place. Glancing over at her assistant—who was sleeping—and then at the clock, she finally realized what time it was. Was it already midnight?

Midnight…

OH!!

The princess should be arriving soon! Lilith remembered this fact with much interest; after all, one didn't get to see too many of those! And, since Ulquiorra was going to be the princess's guard...that meant that Grimmjaw was going to do everything in his power to just screw with Ulquiorra's mind.

Which in turn meant lots of entertainment for Lilith.

This day was turning out better and better by the moment.

Gently nudging the lesser arrancar, Lilith tried to wake up Aquila. When she succeeded, the smaller girl jumped in surprise and fell over herself trying to apologize for sleeping on the job.

"No worries," Lilith interrupted the tirade. "Instead, I am happy that you helped me out. Can you perhaps do me one more favor, though?"

Aquila nodded. "To the best of my ability, ma'am!"

Lilith smiled kindly. Even among the Hollows and arrancar, you could find some truly nice people like Aquila. "That would be good, then. I would like to petition Lord Aizen for an assistant to help me with various projects. Would it be alright if I volunteer you?"

The girl was stunned into silence. Then, she nodded her head vigorously, unable to express in words just how grateful she was.

"Great!" Lilith exclaimed. "I'm glad, since you've been such a wonderful help to me today!" With that, she wandered off somewhere. Probably towards the meeting room, but no one can be sure. After all, this IS Lilith.

--

Only Elpis could hear what Lilith was truly thinking. And it went somewhere along the lines of, "Finally, someone who's shorter than me!"

--

**Poor Aquila has no idea. **

**This chapter is a bit longer than usual!!**

**In any case…pleeeeease review. It will make this authoress very happy, indeed.**

**Besides, I'm sure I could borrow one of Szayel's experiments for a little while to unleash upon the non-reviewers. I'm sure he won't mind... (Holding one of his precious research journals over a flame.) Yes…he won't mind at all…**


	12. Chapter 12

…**The latest chapters with Ulquiorra made me cry. A LOT.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but I do own this essay I'm SUPPOSED to be writing for Monday…even though I got the assignment two weeks ago…YES, I AM A PROCRASTINATOR! DEAL WITH IT! I PROCRASTINATE on EVERYTHING! INCLUDING MY FANFICTIONS!**

**Ahem. Sorry about that. I got angry—with myself, sadly enough. Not to mention the fact that I'm huddled under my blankets suffocating in order to write this. You should thank Dhampirangel, who got my butt moving this time around.**

**Yeah, no Anonymous Reviews Replies Time this chapter. I can't remember who I've given credit to already…sorry. It'll be reinstated next chapter (which I'll also start to write, so don't worry).**

**Sorry for confusing you guys with the last chapter! All will be revealed—eventually. I know I keep saying that, but…**

**--**

**Chapter 12**

When she arrived at the meeting place, Orihime saw her..._escort…_ waiting for her. Ulquiorra. A strange name to fit a strange…monster—it was the only description she had, even if that word never sat well with her kind heart. She trembled all over in the arrancar's presence, not so much from his power but rather the fact that he represented the betrayal she had committed in order to save her friends' lives. His was an easy face to place blame upon; it mattered not that she knew Ulquiorra was following Aizen's orders, Ulquiorra was still the one who had presented her with the 'deal.'

"I assume that you are finished here," Ulquiorra stated, gracefully removing his pale right hand from its pocket. He appeared to tap something in the air, a portal breaking apart the fabric of space from where his fingertip was.

Orihime knew that it was a Hollow's natural ability to create portals as they wished, but she could not help but gasp slightly. She had never seen a portal opened this smoothly, this easily.

"Come, woman," the arrancar urged impatiently, annoyed by the princess's gaping at a simple portal. He sighed internally as Orihime visibly steeled herself and attempted to stride forward confidently. Ulquiorra wasn't fooled by any false bravado—he had seen her trembling and the look she shot him. She was so very easy to read.

For some reason this irked him, even though he didn't let it show. He would rather die before revealing his emotions as blatantly as this woman did. Striding into the opening in space, he forced Orihime to follow quickly.

Orihime jogged to catch up to her captor, not wanting to be left behind inside the portal. She felt nervous about the confrontation with Aizen ahead, at the end of the short journey. She imagined that this was all just like one of the games she used to play with her friends when they were little: Orihime as the damsel who was temporarily kidnapped, but would eventually either be rescued by her knight in shining armor or break herself out. This made the fast walking she was doing bearable.

Ulquiorra continued at his own pace (too fast) down the tunnel, not even pausing at the exit. Orihime jumped through the closing doorway just in time to hear it disappear behind her. She had to remind herself that captors weren't supposed to be sensitive to their charges' plights, in order to keep her anger at Ulquiorra down. Orihime really didn't like the idea of being trapped in the portal space—it was just too creepy in there.

She noticed that she had slowed down, so she sped up again, trying her hardest not to look at the changed landscape of her home. Somehow, Aizen had gotten a lot of sand to lay around the castle. The sickle moon in the sky cast a cold, white light onto the now foreign world. Ulquiorra's paleness almost made him blend into the ghostly place, and the thought of her only company disappearing into the white sand terrified Orihime.

Thankfully, Ulquiorra's fast pace meant that she didn't have to entertain those thoughts for long, as they were now inside the castle. There was still white everywhere Orihime looked, but it didn't have the same feel as the cold sand outside.

'_I don't remember the castle having this many hallways before,' _Orihime thought, sticking even closer to her captor—a mere stride behind. As they wound their way through the mazelike passages, the princess became ever surer that Aizen had done more than a little redecorating. This place was…no longer her home.

Ulquiorra stopped at a pair of large doors and knocked. He waited for a moment until Aizen spoke.

"Welcome—"

Ulquiorra pushed open the doors and held them for Orihime, a small gesture of civility. She stepped forward, starting to tremble again—this time, it was because of fear of the deserters and arrancar she knew lurked in front of her.

"—to our castle of Los Noches."

Orihime raised her gaze towards the throne where her father had sat in until only a day earlier.

"Orihime, our beloved princess," Aizen greeted, smiling at the young woman.

"Yes, sir," she replied, even more afraid than before—for Ulquiorra had moved over to one side of the room. She knew that at least _he_ wasn't intentionally malevolent in his treatment of her. She couldn't predict anything about what Aizen would do at all.

The man's smile turned sinister as he continued to gaze down at Orihime. "Sorry to be so forward, Orihime, but would you show us your power?" His tone left no doubt that this was not an actual request. It was another order. It seemed to be a habit of his to phrase orders as requests or statements.

Orihime shivered, feeling cold sweat run down her cheek. She felt like all of her will to resist was being sucked out of her body along with her strength. Without even the strength to fall, she answered, "Yes…sir…"

Aizen leaned on his right hand, eyes shifting over towards that side of the room. "It seems that there are some here who are not happy with your presence. Isn't that right? Luppi?"

Orihime's gaze followed Aizen's, unable to do more. The battered arrancar in front of her had an angry expression on his childish face. "Of course I'm unhappy," the boy growled. "Our entire fight earlier was designed merely to lure her out. Who would be happy with that?"

The princess' heart plummeted at that. It was…all because of her? It was all her fault? She had already blamed herself for this, yet it was still painful to hear her belief confirmed. Orihime wondered if she would ever feel warm inside ever again. She had already felt so much pain and ice while here, and she hadn't even been there that long.

"My apologies," Aizen said, unable to keep an amused light out of his eyes. "I did not expect you to get so severely beaten." Now Luppi was furious. "Now then, that's right," Aizen returned his arm to the throne arm and his gaze to the princess, "Orihime, in order to directly demonstrate your power…please heal Grimmjaw's arm."

The blue-haired arrancar flinched a bit. He hadn't been paying much attention to Aizen; he had been too busy plotting Lilith's demise and Ulquiorra's downfall.

Luppi's expression turned almost immediately into one of delight and smug superiority. "Ridiculous!" he criticized his creator, "That's impossible Lord Aizen! His arm was reduced to ash by Lord Tousen, how can you heal something that has been erased?!" Orihime ignored him and gazed at the space Grimmjaw's arm was supposed to fill. "She is not a god!"

Desire to help someone, anyone, prompted Orihime to step closer to the former Espada. "Souten Kishun. I—reject," she murmured, not able to stop herself from feeling kindness towards anyone who was injured.

Grimmjaw stared in disbelief at both the girl and the golden light she created over his left side. He didn't know what to make of this.

"Hey! Are you listening, girl?!" Luppi didn't know when to quit. "If this is some show to save your ass you'd better knock it off! If you can't do it I'll kill you! If that power of yours is fake then there'll be no reason to…" he trailed off, as he realized that Grimmjaw's arm was indeed regenerating, "…keep you…alive…" By this point, Luppi had realized that he was in dire straits. Grimmjaw's arm was back. "What…!"

The blue-haired arrancar flexed his fingers and moved his arm experimentally. Everything seemed to work just as it had before. He blinked in amazement.

Orihime watched the arrancar closely. Grimmjaw was his name? It suited him as well as Ulquiorra's did. Were all the arrancar aptly named? In any case, she ignored Aizen's explanation of her abilities. She didn't really care about that. What she wanted to know was if Grimmjaw's arm was really all right. Had she done her job right? She didn't want anyone to suffer if she did something wrong.

"Hey, girl," Grimmjaw spoke to Orihime. He felt embarrassed at his weak appearance in front of the princess. He waved his hand back and forth, still testing it out. It pained him to ask any favors of anyone, but he was willing to scrap his pride for the moment. "Fix up…one more spot." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, indicating his back.

Walking around him, Orihime was happy to oblige. She directed her fairies' powers at the scarred portion of Grimmjaw's lower right side. She watched as the scar tissue receded and the tattoo of the number six appeared.

"What are you planning? Grimmjaw…" Luppi said, retreating a step.

Grimmjaw was silent for a second. As soon as he looked over his shoulder at Luppi and away from Orihime, his expression and smile turned distinctly feral. "…_Yeah?" _Then, moving faster than Orihime could see, he appeared in front of Luppi and ran his hand through Luppi's body and out the other side.

Orihime froze in horror as the Sexta Espada laughed manically, Luppi's red blood coating his front. The princess hadn't known that Hollows and arrancar had red blood just like hers. It disturbed her greatly. As did the act of violence before her.

Aizen's eyes flicked toward the entryway, disinterested in the petty politics of his underlings. He frowned slightly at what he saw. "Lilith. Why are you here? If you are going to show up at all, at least be on time."

The purple-haired arrancar stepped forward, giving a small bow to her creator. "My apologies, Lord Aizen. I fell asleep while performing an errand. I have a matter I wish to discuss with you after this, if that is all right?" Lilith figured that the easiest way to get what she wanted was to ask nicely, and to be as diplomatic as possible.

Aizen considered it for a second before replying, "Yes, I suppose it couldn't hurt to hear you out."

Lilith bowed again. "Thank you, sir." She inclined her head towards Orihime. "Welcome, princess. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Starsfire Lilith, an arrancar without a number. Please call me Lilith."

Orihime nodded. "Um…yes…sure…"

The un-numbered arrancar seemed satisfied with that, because she immediately faced Grimmjaw instead. "You sure have made one helluva first impression there, buddy. Maybe we should work on your people skills…?"

"Shove it, bitch!"

"And now we're resorting to name-calling? That is sad, my friend."

"I am not your friend! You threw your boot at my head!"

"Incorrect. I didn't merely throw it at your head, I hit your head. There is a difference, please get it through that thick skull so I don't have to hit it again."

Grimmjaw was cut off by Aizen before he had the chance to retort or start a fight right there. "Enough, you two. Fight somewhere else, and on your time, not mine." Aizen's cool gaze landed on Ulquiorra. "Ulquiorra, take the princess to her room and make sure her needs are attended to."

The green-eyed arrancar bowed. "As you will, Lord Aizen."

--

Inside of her separate world inside of the tapestry, Elpis stirred. A warm feeling spread throughout her as she felt the girl arrive in the castle. _'Welcome, Orihime,'_ she thought, stretching. _'No, Pandora. Orihime, the Otohime and my Pandora, welcome. It is about time for me to awaken, and enter the real world once more…'_

**--**

**Note: Otohime means Dragon Princess.**

**Yup, the chapter's all done for now. I have a couple of scenes for the next chapter already written, and another couple planned out. But right now, I need to go to bed and write my essay when I wake up in…six hours.**

**Thanks for all of your support, everyone! And—SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I am now the PROUD owner of a plunger—which my cousin gave me as a present for graduating. I'm pretty sure that Bleach does not take the form of a plunger, so…I don't own.**

**A.R.T.!!!**

**meme: Yes, sorry, I don't know how to do the marks above the E's. My computer skills aren't THAT great. Despite this, I am grateful for your review and compliments. **

**Thank you Airheaded Kitty Luver, for reviewing every chapter you read…I love you…**

**Everyone, your reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And guilty. So very, very guilty. Especially since I haven't updated in a while. Well, here it is, in any case!**

--

Striding towards his charge, Ulquiorra gripped Orihime's shoulder, steering her out of the room. She was actually glad for that, even if it was an invasion of personal space. She didn't think that she would have been able to move under her own power, and Ulquiorra's grip wasn't as hard as she expected it to be.

Her back prickled for the entire walk towards the doors, however. She could feel the gazes of the former Hollows and shinigami Captains boring into her back.

Her tension eased somewhat when she finally reached the doors, and heard Lilith start to antagonize Grimmjaw again. She couldn't hear what they were saying, though, since she was already out the door. For some reason, they kind of reminded her of Ichigo and Rukia, only in terms more like that of siblings rather than lovers.

The thought of her two friends quickly erased any thoughts of the arrancar—other than the one who had just released her shoulder. She hoped that all of her friends were all right—and tried to keep her intense jealousy for Rukia at bay until a better time. There was no Matsumoto to help her through it this time.

--

As soon as Ulquiorra and Orihime left, Lilith realized how helpful the girl might have been in her own search. After all, princesses were supposed to go through an extensive amount of studying. And now, Ulquiorra was in her way. While she thought she could be a match for him under the right circumstances, she definitely wasn't willing to give that a try. Mentally kicking herself for not thinking of it earlier, she turned instead to the therapeutic practice of pissing the blue-haired Espada off.

She started with an indignant huff. "Earlier, why did you call me a bitch in front of the princess? I don't want to leave a horrible first impression on her, unlike you! I don't want her to take your words to heart, so that she won't feel left out when no one else does!" She was rewarded with a pulsing vein and an amazingly disgusted face.

But she couldn't stop there. Oh no. That wouldn't be worth it. He had to become just as angry with her as she was with herself for lacking foresight (on many different things, like: _of course_ there's more than one library—damn the castle builders). If she had just forgone her earlier mischievousness, she was sure Aizen would have granted her custody of the princess. (Alright—she knew that she had a bloated ego. But still, she thought she could have accomplished it.)

She proceeded to dig herself into a very, very deep hole. Not quite as deep as the one she would be in if she took out her anger on Aizen, however—Grimmjaw was much easier to target and the repercussions for doing so were less.

"I mean, I'm certainly not a female dog. I may be female, but not a dog. Do you have something in particular against dogs?"

Grimmjaw got very still at this comment.

"Ah!" Lilith exclaimed, smacking a fist into her open palm. "I get it! Cats don't like dogs, do they?" She did her best beckoning cat impression to finish it all off. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty…" Belatedly, the arrancar realized that that may have not been such a clever thing to say. However, it was too late to regret since Grimmjaw was already lunging for her.

--

While following the green eyed arrancar through the twisting—now blindingly white—corridors, the princess felt something just as twisted and alien flow through her body. A strange emotion, one that made her feel off-balance and teetering as if on the edge of a cliff. It took her a moment, but she figured it out after intently staring at her captor.

Orihime had never realized that Ulquiorra was so short. In fact, he was only a little taller than her. It felt weird to her that the person who was a source of fear for her had to be about the same size, rather than towering. Aizen had the right idea, always looking down from a place higher than his pawns.

Ulquiorra's size wasn't anything to be afraid of. In fact, Orihime felt—dare she say it—almost comfortable near someone her size. Sure, she was a little afraid of him, and a perpetual nervousness hung around the edges of her perception, but he wasn't terrifying. Most of the time. She knew that he had been when she encountered him inside of the portal. Regardless, he wasn't all that scary now and the silence itself between them was almost comfortable, as well.

She was also pretty sure that he wasn't going to eat her.

…She hoped.

--

Lilith was well aware of her status as cannon fodder in what was Aizen's war only. As such, at her evolution from Hollow to Arrancar, she had had the foresight to demand some things of her creator. She would fight and probably die for him, and in return he would allow her unrestricted powers to do as she pleased while she chased after her own goals. It was mutually beneficial.

Doing 'as she pleased' apparently didn't _actually_ include mischief-making in the throne room. Especially not starting a stupid fight with Grimmjaw. Those were _no-no's_.

"Stop this instant, you two." Aizen's command froze the two powerful beings in place. Resentful though they were with the ex-captain's rule, they knew better than to attempt anything too stupid and pointless. They did have some sense of self-preservation, contrary to a running bet amongst some of the other arrancar.

"Everyone aside from Lilith may leave. Gin, I suggest you stay and let Tousen run the spying crystals for now." As the others hurried to do Aizen's bidding, Lilith cursed in her head. She disliked Gin Ichimaru. She disliked him greatly. He reminded her of someone she had known before she became a Hollow. It was that damn fake smile. Only, his was rather obviously fake, which was the only difference.

She detested fake smiles more than anything else. This was why she never wore one if she could help it.

"What is it you wish to speak to me about?"

Well, at least Aizen tended not to beat around the bush for long. That much made him easier to handle. "There are two things that I wish to discuss, my lord. The first of which, has to do with the fact that we're now here." She paused for any reaction, and then continued. "I have fulfilled at least a part of my obligation to you. I showed you the way here from the Hollow's world. I wish to be fully free to pursue my own objectives here, without any bothersome complications such as long missions."

Aizen pondered for a moment, glancing at his second-in-command to see if he had any objections. "…This is fine. However, you will still answer when I summon you, and fight in the war. Are we clear?"

"I am merely cannon fodder. I will fulfill that obligation to you when the time comes."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Aizen's lips. "You make it sound like you have been disposable before. Care to elaborate on that subject?"

Lilith wore her own half-smirk in response. "Sorry, sir, but that is personal information that I hold dear to my heart. Or rather, what's left of my heart. So I would prefer not to discuss matters regarding any status I have, may have, have had, or may have had. If that is alright with you, of course." She bowed slightly. "My lord."

'_Actually,' _she thought, _'I was always more of the recyclable type, rather than disposable._'

This little dance of power was very delicate, and could go very wrong with a single misstep on either party's side. And they were all aware of this.

"I understand," Aizen inclined his head a little, in fake acknowledgement. "And the other matter?"

"As you no doubt are aware, I visited the library earlier. However, there is too much information for me to sift through by myself. I would like to make further use of the assistant I had."

"For how long?" For some reason, this greatly amused the ex-captain.

"On a permanent basis, I'm afraid. There is just that much information. Not to mention the fact that there are four libraries."

"Asking for only one assistant is not much, given the circumstances," Gin provided helpfully.

Lilith felt a glimmer of respect for the snaky man. She knew that he had something up his sleeve for later, though. "I felt that any more would be troublesome to you, my lords. I wouldn't wish to inconvenience you in any way, after all." She kept her features and body language as blank as possible. No hints of anything else other than what she was saying. There _must_ not be any, or it would rapidly become a problem.

"I give my consent. Aquila Alba is now your official assistant, and not to be touched by any other arrancar. Is this satisfactory?"

"More than. Thank you my lord. May I please excuse myself now? I find myself in dire need of rest."

"Oh?" Gin interjected. "You mean that nap you took on the book wasn't good enough?"

"I wouldn't say that—rather, it wasn't long enough or very comfortable."

"You should have been a politician as a human," Aizen remarked, making an attempt to get Lilith to reveal more by saying that she was or wasn't.

"Thank you, my lord. Coming from you, that means a lot. Really, it does." Lilith wasn't stupid enough to tell him anything regarding her human life. It was too long ago, and the memories too precious to share with those she considered scum.

"Dismissed." Aizen sounded bored again.

"As you will."

--

Orihime wasn't paying much attention to where she was going, since she was already lost. The markers familiar to her were long gone from her former home. Thus it was that she nearly ran into Ulquiorra when he stopped in front of a door that was too familiar to be mistaken.

Her old room.

She wondered how much it had been changed, as well.

Ulquiorra motioned for her to go inside first, a gesture of civility that surprised Orihime. "Sleep," he ordered in a clipped tone. "When you awaken, I will bring you food and clean clothing."

"Thank you," she whispered, suddenly feeling very self conscious about her appearance. She tried to tug subtly on her dress a little, knowing that it probably wasn't subtle at all. However, Ulquiorra merely nodded at her, not seeming to notice anything out of the ordinary in her manner.

She timidly stepped forward into the room while Ulquiorra held the door for her. As soon as she was in, though, she heard the door slam and lock behind her. Spinning around, she discovered that he really had shut her in without even saying any pleasantries, like, 'Good night,' or, 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

Orihime didn't know why this upset her as much as it did, but she knew that Ulquiorra just combined rudeness and civility in a unique manner.

Shaking her head, Orihime steeled her nerves in order to correctly ascertain the status of her rooms, and if there was any possible way to escape from them. She knew that the panic welling up inside of her would do her no good right now.

--

**Lilith: I lied earlier. I'm actually the organic equivalent of Styrofoam.**

**Me: Do you recycle Styrofoam, or just throw it away? I can never decide.**

**Lilith: You stuff it down someone's throat to kill them slowly and agonizingly.**

**Me: I see.**

**Well, here's the update. Hope it isn't horrible. I love you all.**


End file.
